Injured striker Ronaldo visited Brazil's training camp on Wednesday but turned down invitations to train with the team and to travel to Uruguay with them for next month's World Cup qualifier. Ronaldo, who is due to return to action in August after being out for nearly two years with bad knee injuries, chatted with the squad and played table tennis with them.
His presence caused chaos with hundreds of people standing outside the perimeter fence in the hope of catching a glimpse of the player once rated the best in the world. Ronaldo said he could not stay with the team in the mountain resort of Teresopolis because he had to return to Rio to follow a training programme laid down by his Italian club Inter Milan.
Ronaldo's last game for his country was a friendly against the Netherlands in October 1999. Brazil have suffered an unprecedented run of poor results in his absence and are struggling to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
"I don't know if that's the cause," he said. "If it is, I hope I can help us solve the problem."
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
