However the Brazilian international has declared he will fight to regain his place in Capello's starting line-up in a bid to honour his contract all the way to 2008.

Capello's decision to leave Ronaldo on the sidelines alongside England's David Beckham means the Brazilian has not been selected for an upcoming international friendly against Switzerland on november 15.

And he admitted in a long interview with daily newspaper ABC: "I can't be happy because what makes me happy -- playing football -- is missing from my life."

Ronaldo became the most successful goalscorer at the World Cup in July when he took his career tally in the tournament to 15 goals.

He then underwent an operation on his shinbone in July, after which he vowed to hit 30 goals this season for the Spanish giants -- with whom he stayed despite interest from AC Milan and Inter Milan.

But since Capello's arrival the burly Brazilian forward -- famed for his scorching runs past defenders which usually lead to goals -- has struggled to convince the Italian.

Ronaldo said he is ready to fight to regain his place in the team, but said he feels "forgotten" by Capello, who made him warm up for 40 minutes during Real's last league game but didn't send him on.

Ronaldo added: "The worst thing is not to have the trust of the coach, and to not know how to regain it.

"But I'm a fighter, and I'm going to fight my way back into the starting line-up."

Ronaldo's contract with Real, which pays him an annual salary of 7.5 million euros, expires in 2008 when he will be 32 years old.

He fully intends on honouring that contract before "playing two more years in the United States or Brazil" and retiring at the age of 35.