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MILAN, 2 December 1997

Ronaldo wants the World Cup

(AFP) Ronaldo claimed on Tuesday that Brazil must win the World Cup next year — or he will be dismissed as a failure. Seen by many as the best footballer in the world, Ronaldo claimed that only victory in the World Cup can establish his reputation, and make up for the tears he shed as a boy. “Everything that I’ve done and won up until now will be worth nothing if I can’t offer Brazil their fifth World Cup victory,” he said. “I’m well aware of the fact that in the eyes of people in Brazil, it’s the only event where I can really show what I’m worth. Only by winning the World Cup can I enter their hearts.”

Ronaldo shrugged off the disappointment of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where his Brazil side were knocked out of the semi-finals by the tournament’s eventual winners, Nigeria. “The World Cup is the real objective of a Brazilian footballer, if you win it, you go down in your country’s history,” he said. “If you don’t, you could win everything else there is to win in the world, but in Brazil, you will only be remembered for that defeat.” Ronaldo had no doubts about his judgement, adding: “It’s what happened to Zico. He was my idol when I was a ball-boy at the Maracana stadium during the Flamengo matches. “I remember the 1982 World Cup in Spain. I was five years old and I watched it on television. I cried when Paolo Rossi scored three goals against Brazil and knocked them out of the competition. “We had the best team in the world and yet …” He went on: “I also remember Zico and Brazil and the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. There again, we had the best team: but we lost on penalties to France. Zico missed one during the match and I cried again — with an intensity I’ve only experienced with the death of Ayrton Senna. “Zico was the best player in the world for those four years, but even so, he and the others from those two fantastic Brazil sides are still most remembered for not having won the World Cup. “It might seem incomprehensible to a European, but failure in moments like that are dramatic for people in my country. We can only be truly happy when we win, playing good football and having individuals who stand out. That’s what people in Brazil are expecting from us at the World Cup in France.”

Ronaldo was optimistic that Brazil could improve on their modest goalscoring feats at USA ’94 — with only 11 in seven matches. “Let’s hope we can do better in France,” he said. “We’ve got defenders like Cafu and Roberto Carlos and midfielders like Denilson and Leonardo who can score goals like us forwards.”

Though Brazil will start out as favourites, Ronaldo knows there will be no shortage of competition. “History shows us that 10 out of the 15 World Cups have been won by Brazil, Germany and Italy. Add France and you’ll have four credible semi-finalists. “But watch out for Argentina, England and Spain, and let’s not forget Nigeria. It really will be an achievement to get past all these rivals.” And to do so, Ronaldo is counting not only the support of his teammates, but also of the tournament’s referees. “The only thing I really am worried about are these ‘criminal tackles’, especially from behind. I fully agree with Joseph Blatter (the FIFA secretary general) and Michel Platini (head of the World Cup organisers) that they must be punished severely. They’ve already wrecked the career of Marco Van Basten and many others.” But he added: “This is a subject which people talk about a lot, but do little. I just hope this will be a World Cup with strict referees.”

Ronaldo spared his final thought for one of the world-class footballers who will not be in France next year.
Asked which country he would give a “wild card” to for the next World Cup, Ronaldo told the Gazzetta dello Sport: “Liberia. A World Cup without George Weah is not a real World Cup. “Thinking of me back in Bento Ribeiro and him in Monrovia, I can imagine our two similar childhoods, and having the same determination to build ourselves a future in football.

“I’m very lucky to have been born in Brazil.”