31/05/2005
Ronaldo no longer untouchable

For a player who has become used to having things entirely his own way, Ronaldo has been given a very rude awakening by the decision to leave him out of the World Cup qualifier against Argentina.

The message from the Brazil hierarchy appears to be that he is no longer untouchable.

Ronaldo asked to be excused from the Confederations Cup in the second half of June because, he felt, he needed a rest. But the Real Madrid striker got more than he bargained for.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), which insisted it wanted a full-strength team at the competition, also left him out of the World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Argentina at the start of June.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that the decision comes after three of Ronaldo's worst performances in a Brazil shirt.

Against Ecuador last November and then in the World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay in March, Ronaldo looked off the pace as he lumbered through the matches.

Yet on all three occasions, he was kept on for 90 minutes and got the full backing of coach Carlos Alberto Parreira.

In fact, Ronaldo has not been substituted in the 2-1/2 years since Parreira took over for his latest stint in the hottest seat in soccer, except for the 'Peace Match' in Haiti last year.

HARDLINE PARREIRA

In the last month, however, Parreira has taken off the kid gloves.

First, he issued a general warning that the Confederations Cup would be used as a warm-up for next year's World Cup in Germany and anyone who missed it would jeopardise his chances of a place in the team that will challenge for a sixth world title.

Last week, Parreira, remembering he had spared Ronaldo from last year's Copa America in Peru, issued another warning, this time aimed specifically at Ronaldo.

"It would be great just to play the World Cup," said Parreira after hearing of Ronaldo's desire for time off.

"Personally, it would be great for me if I could just coach the team at the World Cup and not have to worry about the qualifiers and the friendlies, where there is a lot of wear and tear."

"Every player should feel happy when he is picked. But if a player really doesn't want to play for his country, then he has every right to ask to be released.

"Nobody is irreplaceable and they're quite welcome to stay at home if they don't want to play."

The words "nobody is irreplaceable" should sound the warning bells as they come at the end of a season Ronaldo would rather forget.

He suffered a prolonged goal drought at Real Madrid, who again failed to land a major trophy, and there were reports he had fallen out with coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo.

This came after cameras in the players' tunnel caught him throwing his shirt to the floor in disgust after a substitution.

Ronaldo was also dogged by speculation he was overweight and this month his much-publicised engagement to model Daniela Cicarelli came to an abrupt end less than three months after the couple threw a lavish party at a French chateau.

Ronaldo's "release", the official term used by Parreira, comes at a time when competition for a place in the Brazil attack is hotter than ever with players such as Adriano and Ricardo Oliveira lurking in the wings.

When Ronaldo missed the Copa America last year, Adriano stepped in and finished as top scorer with seven goals. Real Betis striker Ricardo Oliveira, meanwhile, outscored him by one goal in this year's Spanish championship.

It gives Ronaldo plenty of food for thought during the holidays that he wanted so badly.

31.05.2005 20:59 +0400
O Globo