Ronaldo's comeback to action with Serie A side Inter Milan was cut short this afternoon when he hobbled off injured after a mere 14 minutes against Lecce. Today's game was the twice World Player of the Year's first appearance in Italy's top division for almost two years. However, it would appear that the Brazilian striker suffered a muscle strain rather than another setback with his troublesome knee.
Ronaldo's last Serie A game was also against Lecce on November 21, 1999. In that game Ronaldo scored Inter's fifth goal in a 6-0 win but later limped off with a knee injury which required surgery and kept him sidelined for five months. The former Barcelona striker returned to action in the Italian Cup final against Lazio in April 2000, but ruptured a knee ligament just six minutes into a second-half substitute appearance.
He required further surgery, which kept him out of action until this summer. He made his competitive return for Inter against Romanian side Brasov in the UEFA Cup first round on September 21 but picked up a thigh injury during that match which further delayed his Serie A comeback.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
