Report: Ronaldinho to meet with Turkish Super Lig's Antalyaspor

The rumor mill is so full of whispers and half-truths provided by "sources" that occasionally it drowns out the on-the-record news that ought perhaps to be taken more seriously. Perhaps this is why some outlets continue to report that Ronaldinho - officially on the outs with Queretaro - is weighing up whether to join Brazilian club Vasco da Gama or MLS's LA Galaxy. But anyone with an interest in where the great entertainer might end up next should probably be pointing out that he is reported to be meeting with Turkish club Antalyaspor next week.

And in this case "reported" doesn't mean sources unnamed or close to the player or within the club, it means "club president on the record saying he's meeting with Ronaldinho in Istanbul on Wednesday":

As has been widely reported in the Turkish media, Antalyaspor president Gultekin Gencer has said - clearly and on the record - that Ronaldinho will meet with club officials in the coming week.

Antalyaspor is not the most fashionable name in Turkish soccer, but it is a team with ambition. The club was promoted to the Turkish top-flight this season, and is expected to open a new, 40,000 capacity stadium soon. And Gencer has not been shy about linking his team to several big names: in addition to Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Ibrahim Afellay are said to be on the newly-promoted side's off-season shopping list.

The rumor mill continues to chatter about Ronaldinho's alleged interest in playing for LA Galaxy (plausible that he wants to; not easy to see how LA accommodates him in a squad already at the maximum-permitted number of Designated Players). And the Brazilian media still thinks Vasco is trying to make a move, albeit with steadily diminishing optimism.

An ambitious Turkish club with a brand new stadium to fill might well be Ronaldinho's best bet for what seems likely to be the 35-year-old's last big payday.