Brazilian football's biggest signing will be sitting on the sidelines as the new
season kicks off in earnest this week.
Ronaldo, who joined Corinthians in a shock move last month, is still struggling
to regain match fitness after recovering from a long-term knee injury he
suffered last February.
The 32-year-old, who previously played for Milan and is determined to resurrect
his career which has been in freefall since the 2006 World Cup, has not yet set
a date for his debut.
"It's best not to make a prediction," he said.
"I don't want to go onto the pitch overweight with different strength in each
leg. I have to be 100 per cent ready."
Ronaldo has not played domestic football in his homeland since he left as a
17-year-old in 1994 to join Dutch club PSV Eindhoven.
Corinthians kick off tomorrow with a home fixture against Barueri in the
Paulista (Sao Paulo state) championship, one of the plethora of regional
competitions which serve as a warm-up for the National Championship.
Once he is fit, Ronaldo's presence could galvanise the Brazilian game which is
sadly devoid of big names.
Unable to match the wages paid in Europe, Brazil has turned into an exporter of
players who find even the less fashionable leagues of the Middle East and
Eastern Europe more enticing than their homeland.
Those who remain fall into three categories; the youngsters who have yet to be
sold abroad, veterans in their mid-30s returning for a final fling and the
journeymen who are not good enough or lucky enough to earn a move.
Ronaldo is one of the younger of some former World Cup players who will be
playing the Paulista and Carioca (Rio de Janeiro state) tournaments.
Former Barcelona midfielder Giovanni, 37, and ex-Werder Bremen defender Junior
Baiano, 39, who both played in Brazil's 1998 World Cup team, will be appearing
for unfashionable Mogi Mirim and Volta Redonda respectively.
Marcos, goalkeeper in Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning team will play for
Palmeiras at the age of 35 while Viola, a striker in the 1994 squad, will turn
out for modest Resende at the age of 40.
The state competitions, which date back to the days before air travel was
commonplace, remain a controversial part of the Brazilian season. Critics say
they are outdated, uncompetitive and turn the season into an unrelenting
marathon.
The teams in the Paulista tournament will have played up to 23 games even before
they embark on the 38-match National Championship campaign in May. |
