Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 952 Sat. February 03, 2007  
   
Sports


Ronaldo lives Brazil dream


Ronaldo, signed by AC Milan from Real Madrid on Tuesday, said on Thursday that his next target was to be play for Brazil again.

"The story isn't over," he told Globo television in an interview. "The story goes on.

"Getting back to the national team is still in my plans and I want to do it on merit.

"Once again, as always in my life, I'm going to bounce back and hopefully score lots of goals."

Ronaldo, who inspired Brazil to World Cup victory in 2002 and holds the record for goals scored in World Cup tournaments with 15, has signed an 18-month contract with Milan, who paid 7.5 million euros (9.7 million dollars) for him.

Ronaldo, 30, last played for Brazil at the 2006 World Cup, where, despite criticism that he was overweight and slow, he scored three goals.

He has not been picked by Brazil since Dunga replaced Carlos Alberto Parreira as coach following the tournament in Germany.

Ronaldo scored 104 goals for Real after joining them in August 2002.

He was the club's leading scorer in each of his four previous seasons in Spain but had limited opportunities to shine following knee surgery after the World Cup last year with coach Fabio Capello preferring Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy up front.

Asked about what went wrong in his last season at Real, Ronaldo said: "I don't know exactly but the coach, as I see it, didn't have confidence in me and didn't want me to play.

"Milan is a fantastic club and the fans are very enthusiastic about my arrival."

Picture
Brazilian superstar and new Milan signing Ronaldo (L) poses with his new jersey next to the club's vice president Adriano Galliani at a Milan hotel on Friday. PHOTO: AFP