© EuroFootball.com
Although the Brazilian national team and Real Madrid star Ronaldo stated last week that club and national team matters are completely different things, it seems that his poor form at the Royal club has also appeared in the Brazilian national team.
According to the Brazilian media, in yesterday's qualifier for the 2006 World Cup in Germany against Peru, which Brazil won 1-0, Ronaldo "struggled and puffed". The media did not hesitate to once again bring up the long-standing issue of Ronaldo's overweight, but Ronaldo himself blamed the air for his poor performance.
"Footballers playing in Europe are not used to such air," Ronaldo said during the match break.
Despite Ronaldo's poor performance, Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira allowed Ronaldo to play the entire match, while Kaka, who looked more impressive on the field, was substituted.
Ronaldo missed the chance to score the first goal, later shot too weakly and straight at the Peruvian goalkeeper, despite having a great opportunity, and after one episode he was even booed by his own fans. The only episode for which Ronaldo earned praise from the Brazilian media was a successful pass to Kaka, who scored the only goal of the match. It is worth mentioning that this was the first goal Kaka scored for Brazil while playing for AC Milan in official matches.
Last November, Ronaldo blamed the high-altitude climate when Brazil lost to Ecuador 0-1 in an away match due to his poor performance. In that match, Ronaldo played until the final whistle and, according to journalists, wasted Brazil's best chance to equalize the score.
One Brazilian journalist, commenting on Sunday's match, wrote: "Instead of scoring goals, he wasted great chances and contributed little to Brazil's victory. Maybe there's a rule that Ronaldo has to be on the field for the full 90 minutes?"
Meanwhile, the Brazilian national team coach stated that he has never considered the possibility of benching Ronaldo: "I have never even considered it. Ronaldo is a key player in the Brazil squad. People quickly forget how much Ronaldo has achieved in his career. He is one of the best strikers in the world and we should be happy that he is Brazilian."
Brazil, who will play against Uruguay away on Wednesday, ranks second in the South American zone with 23 points after 12 out of 18 qualifying matches. The group is topped by Olympic champion Argentina, who has gathered 25 points.
