An "authoritative strike" aimed at putting a previously unknown club on the map of the soccer world , that's how Club Queretaro president Arturo Villanueva describes Ronaldinho putting pen to paper and signing for the Liga MX club on Sept. 5.
The desired effect has been achieved: Gallos Blancos were a Liga MX minnow just four weeks ago; now they are the club that has the biggest box office appeal south of the border and most interest outside the North American nation.
No other single signing in the modern history of Mexico's first division has had a bigger short-term impact.
"Wherever we go we fill stadiums and our stadium is permanently full," explained Villanueva in an interview with ESPNFC.com on Wednesday. "Sponsors are looking for us, we've been invited to games outside of Mexico. We've had interviews from media from all over the world. It's been a phenomenon not just for us, but for the league in general."
The first thing to erase and recalibrate when considering Ronaldinho coming to Queretaro are those stories from early 2014, when players regularly didn't get paid, former owner Amado Yanez was in serious trouble with the law over alleged financial fraud and the club was taken over by Mexico's governmental authorities.
Those were dark times for an institution that came close to disappearing entirely, but a line was drawn underneath the situation when Grupo Imagen -- a subsidiary of Grupo Empresarial Angeles -- swooped in late May to rescue a club that is yet to win a Liga MX title.
Fans are probably still pinching themselves in disbelief that the institution has been turned around so quickly.
Financially, Grupo Imagen is a serious hitter in Mexico and after Villanueva came on board in July, the directors of the club decided that in order to disperse the image of Queretaro as a perennial struggler, yo-yoing between the first and second division and with the stigma the previous owner had left, something major had to be done.
Ronaldinho, according to Villanueva, was the first name on a list of potential star players drawn up by the club to make that statement and inject new life into Queretaro.
Contact was made with Ronaldinho's brother and agent -- Roberto de Assis -- and after initial talks went well, Villanueva jetted off to the player's hometown of Porto Alegre in Brazil, where he stayed in the 34-year-old's house for four days, explaining the project to the family and negotiating a deal.
"[Ronaldinho] said he was grateful and that in all his career never had a president gone to his house to talk to him," said Villanueva, adding negotiations went smoothly. "He liked the gesture."
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Villanueva stated that Ronaldinho was open to the idea from the start and, despite having offers from all over the world, was "seduced" by the idea of playing in Mexico "because of the type of country and people we are." The fact Pele's Brazil won the 1970 World Cup in Mexico and received rapturous support from locals was not lost on Ronaldinho either, according to Villanueva.
A confidentiality agreement in Ronaldinho's contract means his salary can't be revealed, but the Mexican press has widely reported it to be around $2 million per year, nearly half of 37-year-old Thierry Henry's $3.75 million USD base salary at New York Red Bulls, according to MLS Players Union.
"If you bring an elite player with a lot of quality, the cost is not cheap, but he's not the most expensive in the league, either," stated Villanueva, who was also adamant that Ronaldinho didn't ask for a share of ticket or shirt sales.
"He's someone who likes to play football and have fun and he's been champion in every team he's been in, which is what he's looking to continue here," Villlanueva continued. "Economically, he's protected himself very well, he's done very well in his career. He was looking for a new sporting challenge in a place where he'll be happy and, luckily, that's what he found in Queretaro."
The reaction so far has been what you'd probably expect.
Chivas raised ticket prices when Ronaldinho made his Liga MX debut on Sept. 21 in Guadalajara, but still got a 38,000 crowd in the Estadio Omnilife, while 48,000 witnessed Atlas against Gallos Blancos last Tuesday in the Estadio Jalisco.
They were the two highest crowds of 2014 for each of the Guadalajara clubs, while both games Ronaldinho has played in Queretaro have sold out.
Against Atlas came the two defining moments so far for Ronaldinho in Mexico.
In the 55th minute on Tuesday, a fan breached security and ran onto the pitch up to the former Barcelona and pleaded for Ronaldinho to sign his Brazil shirt. The youngster had even brought a marker and, with the game stopped, the Brazilian obliged, to the delight of fans inside the two-time World Cup venue.
Then with the last kick of the game, the Brazilian steered a free-kick over the wall to pull a goal back for Queretaro in its 2-1 defeat to Atlas. It left the feeling that while off the field he has been a huge hit, on it there is still more to come. He would probably argue he now has two goals and an assist in three Liga MX appearances and is not yet match fit, although only one win in seven games for Queretaro is worrying and the economic impact of Gallos Blancos not making the playoffs would be significant.
Nevertheless, that "authoritative strike" has been achieved. All eyes in Mexican soccer are on Queretaro, who isn't ruling out similar blows in the transfer market moving forward.
"Today it's Ronaldinho, but in the future we'll surely bring in other world class players," remarked Villa.