Ronaldinhio was due to leave Gremio in the summer of 2001 for PSG. Gremio didn't want to play him anymore, whilst PSG wanted him to get some experience in Europe first.
Hendrie said: "I don't think people believed the story at the time. Everyone knew we needed a striker pretty badly and there were so many ridiculous names bandied about - but Ronaldinho was genuine.
"I got a call from a Paisley lad living in Porto Alegre who told me that we could take advantage of a loophole to get him on loan. At first I thought it was a red herring, but he had numbers for a few people working for Ronaldinho to start the ball rolling.
"We spent a fortnight trying to break down every obstacle. Gremio had frozen him out because they were annoyed he had signed for PSG. PSG wanted him to get experience in Europe before joining them. It seemed like the perfect scenario and we got the agreement of everyone for the deal.
"But no matter how hard I pushed for quick clearance they failed to send it through before the deadline on March 31 and the deal was effectively dead.
"Can you imagine what it would have been like seeing him in a St Mirren top? It would have been a joy to behold. I'm not sure if he'd have saved us from the drop, but he'd certainly have made a big impact.
"I watch him on TV and think about what might have been. He's a fantastic talent and it would have been the biggest deal of my life, but it wasn't to be."
The last bit is maybe an understatement from Tom. It wouldn't just have been the biggest of his life, but the biggest in Scottish football. You can keep your Caniggias, your de Boers and your Bests, Ronaldinho would have been the biggest star to play in Scottish football. The only thing that would have been close would have been if Johan Cruyff had signed for Dumbarton, but it also fell through.
So now we know. Had it not been for some problems with international clearance, Ronaldinho would have played for St. Mirren and Saints would have made a fortune in merchandising and increased gate revenue.
Story source: The Scottish Sun