Ronaldinho wants to go out on a high

Ronaldinho expressed his disappointment at Atletico Mineiro's surprise defeat at the Club World Cup on Thursday, but has declared that they "want to go out on a high".

Following the 3-1 loss to Raja Casablanca in Marrakech, the former World Player of the Year rued missed opportunities, but insists complacency was never an issue.

“We were expecting a tough match, and it was an entertaining, open game, with lots of goal-scoring opportunities for both sides. They were lucky enough to finish their chances,” Ronaldinho stated in an interview with Fifa.com.

The defeat means that the Brazilians will now play Guangzhou Evergrande instead of progressing on to the showpiece final against Bayern Munich. However, on the whole it's still been a fantastic year for Atletico.

Reflecting on a historic 12 months in which Mineiro claimed their first ever Copa Libertadores title, the iconic No.10 expressed a great deal of joy regarding their achievements.

“It was a wonderful year. We made history in a club that goes back 100 years," he continued.

“We are happy to be part of that, to represent this generation of the club in this historic year. Unfortunately we didn’t close out the year with a perfect ending.

"But it is something that serves as experience so that next time we are even more focused and don’t make the same mistakes.”

Mineiro must now beat Guangzhou to avoid finishing fourth and becoming the worst placed Brazilian team in the tournament's history.