RIO DE JANEIRO, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Little more than a year after being hailed as Flamengo's savior, supporters of Brazil's biggest club want Ronaldinho out.
An emphatic 83 percent of respondents to a poll conducted by popular soccer website Lancenet said the former Barcelona and AC Milan star should be sold by the club.
It follows a string of poor performances, culminating in Wednesday's 3-2 defeat by Ecuador's Emelec that has left Flamengo facing almost certain elimination from the Copa Libertadores.
Ronaldinho, whose monthly wage is a reported 700,000 US dollars, has looked a shadow of the player that once enchanted world soccer.
In 13 games so far this season, he has scored just two goals from open play.
Compounding matters are constant rumors about the 32-year-old's night-time escapades and lack of commitment to training.
The playmaker has reportedly already missed 10 training sessions this year, fueling rumors of favoritism by coach Joel Santana.
Wednesday's loss to Emelec has caused fans and local media to finally lose their patience.
Three of Rio de Janeiro's daily newspapers dedicated their front pages on Friday to the Ronaldinho crisis.
Meia-hora published a photo of a smiling Ronaldinho with the headline "he has no shame" while the Brazilian edition of Marca labeled him Judas for committing an "Easter betrayal."
Fans also showed their disapproval by pelting the team bus on Friday with eggs and popcorn.
Ronaldinho's brother Assis, who acts as his agent, has been forced to deny reports Flamengo want to sell the midfielder.
"The story has no basis. He has a contract with the club until 2014," Assis said.
Ronaldinho's form woes cast serious doubt over his international future, despite a good relationship with national coach Mano Menezes.
If he parts company with Flamengo it is unclear where he would go.
Who would be willing to take on a waning 32-year-old with stratospheric wage demands and a party-boy reputation?
Few elite clubs, most probably.
Even Russian team Anzhi, where former national teammate Roberto Carlos works as an assistant coach, has ruled out a reported offer.
"I don't know where the news came from that the club wants to contract Ronaldinho. I can tell you that it is not true," Carlos said on his twitter account.
Ronaldinho's tribulations offer a stark contrast to his arrival at Flamengo in January last year when he was greeted by 20,000 fans and hailed as a hero.
A month earlier the club had narrowly escaped relegation to Brazil's second division following a disappointing 2010 season.
After an indifferent start to 2011, Ronaldinho helped revive Flamengo's fortunes with a fourth place finish in the league, guaranteeing a place in the Copa Libertadores' qualification round.
The question now is whether he can revive his own career.