Ronaldo out of AC Milan

Ronaldo, named MVP at last 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup, is a free player since his deal with AC Milan expired last Monday.

However, the Brazilian striker is only focused on recovering from a left-knee surgery he underwent last February, agent Felipe Bruno said from Brazil.

According to his spokesperson, AC Milan refused to start talks with Ronaldo regarding an eventual renewal, but they are in touch with 31-year-old ace in order to know about his recovery. Anyway, a resume in the talks after treatment are not ruled out.

Ronaldo, who decided to get away from France to escape from the press and be closer to his girlfriend, said he might return to the pitch by November.

The Brazilian press highlighted the fact that this is the first time the international striker is unemployed since his career debut at Cruzeiro.

The only team which publicly announced their interest in signing him were Flamengo, current Brasileirao leader; lately, Ronaldo admitted his admiration for the team.

Shevchenko comment regarding ronaldo's injury

"He's a player who has given so much to football. I regret that in his career he's had many injuries. But he is a player who has still shone and won many things," said the former Milan favourite.

"For me, he was the best attacker. When he was good, there was no one better than him."

RONALDO : THE HEART SAYS TO PLAY

The press conference organized to hear Ronaldo, before he left the Pitie-Salpetrieren clinic of Paris, was full of topics, but at the same time we understood how the ‘Fenomeno’ is feeling. Ronie is still hope to return to play, but before everything else he must only and exclusively think about the rehabilitation. It will not be easy, but probably shorter than the first serious injury, that of eight years ago.

Ronaldo, even though he lives through this terrible moment, he still seems incredulous:
“Everything is still very recent, it just happened and no one expected this incident. It was a very tough blow, very tough mentally. I cannot still believe that it really happened.” One of the first questions was directed towards his future and his return to the football world. “For the return I must still think. I still don’t know if I will continue to play. Now I only think about recovering in the best possible way. I know that it will be very tough again, but I hope to succeed.”

The doubt whether Ronie still wants to return to play or no is soon revealed. Even here the reply is very clear: “I have a lot of desire to return to play. My heart says to continue playing, but I must see how my physique responds. Lately it is giving important signals: it is very tired and has suffered a lot. If at the end of the recovery path I will be very well, then I will be back on the pitch, otherwise I will take the very tough decision to quit."

On one thing the number 9 seems optimistic: “I don’t know exactly how long this rehabilitation period will last, but surely it will be take less time than the previous one, that of eight years ago. I will do my best to win this battle against my physique.” Ronaldo does not have a high morale, but despite this he has not lost the lucidity not even when some questions were more dangerous than others, like when they asked him if he thinks that if something specific has caused the injury: "I don't think about the causes. It happened and that's it. I have many other things to think about now. I don’t know what to say about Milan, my contract expires in June. Milan is a home for me, I have a family there that waits for me. What annoys me is how it went…Right now it’s difficult to talk about a contract.”

Before ending the touching press conference, Ronaldo wanted to thank those who gave him a lot of affection in these last days: "I thank all of my team-mates who were close to me, who have suffered with me, who sent me many messages. I also thank the President and the entire club. The people who, even though I don’t know them, made me understand that around me there is a lot of affection. I also thank my family. In these moments I can only say thanks, because without this type of support I don’t know if I would have managed.”


from ac milan.com

Sao Paulo offer to help AC Milan's Ronaldo

Sao Paulo have offered to help AC Milan striker Ronaldo's recovery from knee surgery.

Brazil's Sao Paulo stepped in to offer Inter Milan striker Adriano a place to play during his treatment for depression and now they could house another struggling star.

It's been suggested Sao Paulo will seek to take Ronaldo on-loan from Milan and help him recover before sending the player back to Italy midway through next season.

Milan to renew Ronaldo deal

Milan are interested in offering Ronaldo a new contract, according to the Brazilian's solicitor.

Ronaldo ruptured a ligament in his left knee against Livorno on Wednesday and has since been ruled out for nine months.

The 31-year-old's current contract at the Rossoneri ends on 30th June, but solicitor Fabiano Farah is confident that Milan will offer the striker a new deal despite his career-threatening injury.

"Everything makes us think that the club are interested in renewing his contract," Farah told Terra.

"Vice-president (Adriano) Galliani has already expressed this desire.

"Ronaldo wants to return to playing, but his primary aim is to get better and have a good rehabilitation.

"He is the type of person that continues right to the end in his challenges, he has always won them.

"He is a born fighter and I am sure he is ready for this new battle."

Milan comfort Ronaldo but no talk of new deal

AC Milan have yet to commit to a new contract for injured Ronaldo after the Brazil striker was ruled out for at least nine months following knee surgery.

The 31-year-old's deal runs out in June and, with question marks hanging over his career, the European champions are not guaranteeing him a fresh contract despite saying they hope he plays for them again.

Former Real Madrid player Ronaldo underwent surgery on his left knee in Paris on Thursday after being carried off in Wednesday's 1-1 Serie A draw with Livorno, only his sixth appearance in an already injury-plagued season.

The three-times World Player of the Year sustained a similar injury while with Inter Milan in 2000 but came back to help Brazil win the 2002 World Cup.

"Milan will do everything so that Ronaldo's desire to be a great champion returns," coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference on Friday, without mentioning a new contract.

RONALDO DESIRE

Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf told the BBC he feared his team mate's playing days could be over but Ancelotti said that was premature.

"No one can know if Ronaldo's career is over or not," said the coach. "I can't know and neither can Seedorf.

"Only Ronaldo can know and he knows what he is up against. It all depends on his desire."

Milan said before the injury Ronaldo's deal would be renewed if the often-overweight striker recovered his fitness and form.

The club are not rushing into a decision over whether to give him a short-term contract as a carrot to get fit.

Chief executive Adriano Galliani said the injury was not as bad as the one suffered eight years ago and Ronaldo would probably stay in the Paris hospital for a week.

The Brazilian could continue his rehabilitation in Milan or with his son in Madrid, he added.His father Nelio Nazario da Lima told reporters in Paris: "My son is used to fighting and I am sure he will return to playing."

Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in World Cup finals with 15 goals in three tournaments.

Soccer Ronaldo wants final honour

AC Milan's returning Brazilian star Ronaldo says he is determined to help his team win the Champions League this year so he can snatch the one major honour that has so far evaded him.

After recurring calf problems kept him out of the team for much of the first half of the season, Ronaldo is finally back in the starting line-up this weekend for a Serie A match against Siena.

Later this month Milan will face English premiership leaders Arsenal in the first knockout round of the Champions League.

''A Champions League cup is missing from my trophy room, so I'm going to do everything I can to win it,'' said Ronaldo.

Milan won the Champions League title in 2007 but without Ronaldo who had only just joined the team. Despite performing well in the opening round of the Champions League, the star-studded squad coached by Carlo Ancelotti has been struggling in the domestic championship.

It is now in fifth place, 20 points behind cross-town rivals Inter, the current leaders. In order to be sure of a Champions League berth for next year's tournament, it needs to get into the fourth spot now occupied by Fiorentina, which has four more points than Milan.

''The championship began badly for various reasons and now we have to pull back a lot of points so it's important to win and score goals,'' Ronaldo said With fellow Brazilian strikers Pato and Kaka' injured, the team badly needs Ronaldo's former goal-scoring prowess to re-emerge now on both European and domestic fronts.

Ronaldo, who has won the World Cup with Brazil and been awarded FIFA's World Player of the Year award three times, has only played for Milan 14 times since being signed a year ago. He has scored seven goals.


from ansa.it

Ronaldo, Inzaghi boost for Milan

AC Milan should be able to call on fit-again strike pair Ronaldo and Filippo Inzaghi this weekend as they continue their charge up the Serie A table.

The European champions host Siena tomorrow on the back of five wins in their last six matches, a run that has lifted them up to fifth in the table and just four points off fourth spot and Champions League qualification for next season.

Milan got off to a disastrous start this season, failing to win any of their first seven home league matches and languishing in mid-table until the turn of the year.

Their situation became so desperate that people started to speculate on the possibility that the Italian giants could miss out on qualifying for Europe's premier club competition. But crucial 1-0 victories at Udinese and Fiorentina, as well as a run of 15 points from a possible 18, has left Milan's situation looking a lot more promising. That good feeling was at risk of being derailed following last weekend's victory in Florence when attacking Brazilian pair Pato and Kaka suffered injuries.

With Italy forward Alberto Gilardino suspended for the Siena match, there was a serious risk that Milan would be left without a single attacking player. But the timely return of the World Cup's record goalscorer Ronaldo and European club competition's record goalscorer Inzaghi leaves Milan looking a lot healthier.

Even so, playmaker Kaka is worried about the effect the constant changing of players could have on the team's consistency. "In this team there's a lot of player turn-over," he said. "Pato is out, Ronaldo is back and hopefully also Pippo."

Siena drubbed second-placed Roma 3-0 in their last outing, a result that dropped the capital-based club to eight points behind leaders Inter Milan. Roma host lowly Reggina today and although anything other than a win is unthinkable, such a result could even see Roma being dragged down into the clutch of teams that are battling it out for Champions League football next season.

They are just four points ahead of Juventus, who have a four-point advantage on Fiorentina, after which there are four more points to Milan and Udinese. Sapa-AFP

Current Condition of Pato, Kaka, Rronaldo, Inzaghi and Gattuso

These are the declarations of the MilanLab coordinator of AC Milan, Jean Pierre Meersseman with ‘Milan Channel’, yesterday afternoon at the Rossoneri’s sports centre of Milanello:

Doctor, what is the situation of the injured Rossoneri players?

“Pato is better today. Up to yesterday he was walking with the help of the crutches, but now he manages to walk without feeling the pain. We are confident with regards to the recovery time. Up to yesterday we thought he would need two or three weeks, but now I believe that within two weeks he is recoverable for the game against Arsenal. He was surely very scared because it was his first injury, following a wonderful goal and the day after he had to reach the training camp of the Brazilian national side. He suffered a lot physically, but at the same time also psychologically, but now he’s serene.

“Kaka will surely be available for the game against Arsenal, but he won’t be available for Siena. His knee problem, which he has been carrying for the past two years, is suffering a bit of pain the day after the games. For this reason we have decided to take action in order to recover him at 100% because his pain is influencing his way of game.

“Ronaldo and Inzaghi will surely be part of Sunday’s game against Siena. I saw them in form during today’s training session.

“Today we have undertaken an echography to Gattuso and we have noted a huge progress and also he should be available for the game against Arsenal. Rino will surely need to be protected from himself because he does not feel any pain and to know the real situation we must undertake him to instrumental exams like the magnetic resonance or an achography.”

Kaká: Ronaldo Second Only To Pelé

Kaká did not shy away from expressing his appreciation for his team-mate and friend.

"Ronaldo is number one. In the history of the Brazilian soccer, he is only behind Pelé," he stated.

The midfielder was speaking after missing out on Brazil's narrow 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday and reiterated his desire to be part of the U-23 team that will go to the Olympics in Beijing later this year.

"I want to go the Olympics because Brazil has won almost everything, but have still not been able to win Olympic Gold in football. I never got the chance to play in them when I was the right age and therefore I hope to be included as one of the three players over twenty-three in the summer."

Kaká was asked about the tough regime that new England coach Fabio Capello seems keen to enforce, but did not feel that such an approach is always effective.

"In the World Cup in 2002, after each game we had one day of rest and before the departures we could tan a little in the sun. We could also use mobile phones and we were successful. We were clearly always very professional.

"In 2006, a different regime was adopted and we were only allowed out at certain times with more restrictions and the results were not positive."

Finally, Kaká was asked what being world club champions meant to AC Milan and the players.

"We are the world-wide champion of clubs and until December nobody can take that away from us.

"It would be wonderful to win another Champions League title so we can defend the trophy," he concluded.