The headline-grabbing transfer of Brazilian ace Ronaldinho from Barcelona to Milan last week was no big surprise as the Rossoneri had never made bones of their intention to prize him away from the Primera Liga.
Some questions immediately come to mind.
Is Ronaldinho the kind of player Milan need to get back to winning ways after a barren season? Can coach Carlo Ancelotti mould a winning side featuring Brazilian trio Ronaldinho, Kaka and Pato all in the same starting line-up? If yes, how much would Milan lose in defence and midfield to support such a trident?
Ronaldinho is one of the most talented players in recent soccer history. There is absolutely no doubt about that. There are some reservations on his lifestyle though and his current poor physical state.
Since helping Barcelona win the 2006 Champions Cup, the second in the Catalan club's history, Ronaldinho has experienced a dark patch stretched over two years.
To begin with, he was a faint copy of himself in the 2006 World Cup. Even in the subsequent two years at the Nou Camp, the Brazilian seldom performed to his exacting standards. His contribution was next to minimal and Barca finished the last two seasons empty-handed and Ronaldinho lost his place in the starting XI.
It follows, therefore, that Milan will have to help Ronaldinho rediscover his true self and the player, on his part, has to help the club return to winning ways after an indifferent season.
This all looks possible but many contend that Ancelotti will have to change Milan's playing module in such a way as to bring the best out of Ronaldinho.
Ancelotti's biggest challenge lies in his search for a system of play that can support Ronaldinho, Kaka and Pato all at the same time. This will come at a big expense in that the other players will have to give more than 100 per cent to make sure Milan have a solid cover from the midfield down.
Some critics still have doubts on the inexperienced Pato though. He is unsuitable to play as a lone striker up front with Ronaldinho and Kaka being the two supporting men just behind him.
In this regard, Marco Borriello, scorer of 19 goals with Genoa last season, could play a better role than Pato.
Ronaldinho should take advantage of the fact that he will participate in this summer's Olympics with the Brazilian team to get back in shape. Then, it is up to Ancelotti to mould a winning team featuring the players he thinks will best suit his plans.
Surely, Ronaldinho will be a major source of income for Milan in terms of merchandising and gate-money. But winning teams are barely built around acclaimed players alone.
Take Florentino Perez's 'galacticos' policy at Real Madrid for instance.
This style of transfer campaign turned Real into the richest club in the world, albeit, the team failed to lift any silverware for three consecutive years.
Perhaps, a deadly finisher of the calibre of Didier Drogba would have been more suitable to Ancelotti's 4-3-2-1 playing system.
With the arrival of Ronaldinho, Ancelotti has to abort his cautious approach and resort to a more attacking one unless he wants to leave players of the calibre of Clarence Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi, Borriello or Pato regularly on the bench.
On the other hand, with the Serie A struggling to keep up with the best competitions in Europe, one augurs that Ronaldinho will be a hit in Italy.
The Brazilian playmaker is still young enough and has ample time to return to the player he used to be before.
It depends mostly on him and his determination to prove himself in different environs.
His team-mates and Ancelotti then will do the rest.