Turn back the clock a few years and both Ronaldinho and Britney Spears were at the top of their game. Both looked slimline as they wowed packed houses on a weekly, if not daily, basis and both were without doubt among the leading figures in the entertainment world.

Yet more recent times have not been so great for either of the hapless souls. Both have suffered from a growing waistline, neither have performed to anything like their best and both find themselves coming in for the wrong type of attention.

But both are on the comeback trail and looking to resurrect their careers, and with age on their side, both may be well-placed to have a second chance at hitting the big time again.

Ronaldinho has been shown the door at Barcelona, with the buck-toothed genius allowing his agent and over-controlling brother, Ronaldo de Assis, to find him a new club. The suitors were hesitant to come forward, but without doubt, the most forthcoming and hopeful future employers were Manchester City, who lodged a £25.5m bid, while the other rivals for R10's signature were AC Milan.

From a purely footballing perspective, the Rossoneri were always the preferred choice of Ronaldinho and it seems they have won the battle for his signature, despite the fact that City’s offer, backed by Thai billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, far outstripped that of Milan and the personal terms were many thousands more lucrative.

At 28, this transfer is likely to be the final big pay-day for Ronaldinho, and therefore the lure of the hefty pension secured by playing at Eastlands should have been a tempting offer. And although he may have opted to play alongside the incomparable Kaka, he has still missed out in playing in next season's Champions League.