Escape from Manchester: Robinho flees to Santos

It might as well be the plot to a Dick Francis potboiler: a devious young man stiffs someone for a cool thirty million pounds and then flees the country to Brazil. But this isn’t some work of fiction; it’s actually just another chapter in the life story of a certain Robson de Souza, commonly known as “Robinho.”

Seventeen months after arriving on English shores for a British record transfer fee of £32.4m, Robinho is on his way home to Santos – the club he made his name for prior to moving to Europe in 2005. Originally paraded as City’s ‘jewel in the crown’ under Sheikh Mansour’s new Eastlands regime, Robinho’s Premiership career began with much promise. Netting his first goal for the club in a 3-1 loss to Chelsea in September 2008, Robinho went on to score 14 league goals during his first season becoming City’s top scorer and 4th top scorer in the Premiership.

But Robinho’s sophomore season performances have been a completely different kettle of fish. Amid a string of niggling injuries, the departure of close friends Jo and Elano, and his determination to leave the North, Robinho’s form has nosedived. The young Brazilian has featured only eight times this season and scored his first goal of the campaign in City’s recent FA Cup win over Scunthorpe.

Struggling to win a place in the side for most of the current campaign, Robinho’s World Cup hopes have accelerated his departure from the Premiership. Eager for inclusion in national team coach Dunga’s plans for South Africa, Robinho knows that playing regularly is the most important precursor to a World Cup spot… and he’s not going to get that at Eastlands.

City fans will miss Robinho's funny faces, but that's about it.

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