Bizarre as it sounds, Ronaldinho to St Mirren was not a wild rumour, it definitely almost happened.
The man who nearly made this remarkable transfer happen - Tom Hendrie - is on record explaining how one of the greatest players of all time almost graced the Scottish Premiership.
Spoiler alert: he didn't - and instead went on to become one of the most entertaining footballers who ever lived, winning the World Cup, Champions League and Ballon d'Or along the way.
But how did the all-time great nearly become a Buddie?
Ronaldinho moves to PSG
In 2001, Paris Saint-Germain secured the young Brazilian, a gem who had left scouts awestruck.
Just a year prior, they returned from South America buzzing with excitement after witnessing him tear apart every opponent in his path.
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By the time he was only 18, he had already turned heads, netting an impressive 22 goals in 47 matches during 1999.
PSG faced tough competition from Arsenal, but with a €5 million fee and a five-year contract finally agreed upon, the Brazilian wizard was headed to France.
Yet, after signing a pre-contractual agreement, Ronaldinho found himself in a limbo.
With the Brazilian season winding down, he was technically out of contract until stepping foot in the Parc des Princes.
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St Mirren come calling
To stay fit for his forthcoming adventure, Ronaldinho sought a loan move, and St Mirren nearly pulled it off.
Desperate for a goalscorer, the Scottish Premiership strugglers were entrenched at the bottom of the league, facing a dire final quarter of the season.
Then came the phone call that almost changed everything for manager Tom Hendrie.
A day before the transfer deadline, Hendrie received an unexpected call from Brazil.
Ronaldinho's services were being offered to St Mirren, the Buddies could soon be graced with his attacking capabilities for the remainder of the season.
Hendrie told The Sun at the time: "Ronaldinho was a young lad; he wasn’t the star that he became, but certainly we were trying to get someone to keep us in the Premier League to score goals for us.
“It seemed to be a win-win situation for everyone.
“PSG were happy with it because they thought him coming over here and acclimatising to European football would be good for the young boy.
"The whole thing seemed to be on the cards. We got in touch with the home office, they got in touch with the club in Brazil, and the home office said the deal would go through on paper.
"We agreed with PSG on the type of accommodation to give him, offered him a car, and agreed to pay him a similar salary to what we were paying our players, which was nominal compared to what they were paying."
Yet, as promising as it appeared, time was against them, and hurdles kept surfacing even as hope grew.
Heartbreak for Hendrie and St Mirren
As the deadline loomed, it seemed Ronaldinho would soon take to the pitch for the final three months of the season.
But, tragically, the dream of seeing him grace sunny Paisley evaporated.
St Mirren needed Gremio to release their star, while the Brazilian FA had to confirm his PSG status before the loan could proceed.
Unfortunately, the Brazilians got distracted.
Hendrie summarised the disaster: "What happened was Brazil were playing a game, and the Brazilian FA had shut down; nobody worked, they were all watching a game of football, and we just ran out of time.
"It just fell on the fact that the Brazilian FA couldn’t do it in time because of that match.
“It was too late, and we ran out of time. The Scottish FA wouldn’t accept the registration after March 31st.”
How did Ronaldinho do at PSG?
Ronaldinho's time at PSG was nothing short of transformative.
He emerged as an incredible talent, rapidly winning the hearts of fans with his flair, skill, and breathtaking goals that lit up the Parc des Princes.
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He played an indispensable role in PSG's journey, guiding them to the Coupe de la Ligue semi-finals in 2002.
Despite his undeniable talent, he eventually departed PSG in 2003 to join Barcelona, where he would achieve the global stardom he so richly deserved.
