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Get your pitch fix with SI.com's writers in the World Cup Blog, a daily journal of World Cup commentary, on-site reporting and reader-driven discussions.
6/13/2006 05:35:00 PM

Bench Ronaldo

Oakland Arena
Ronaldo was a non-factor in Brazil's somewhat unimpressive win over Croatia.
Simon Bruty/SI
Posted by Grant Wahl

BERLIN -- Well, someone has to say it: If Brazil wants to win this World Cup, if it wants to do it in style and rank with the greatest teams of all time, it's time to bench Ronaldo.

The Artist Formerly Known as "The Phenomenon" has ballooned into an endomorphic anchor on the world's No. 1 soccer team. The evidence was there for all to see in Brazil's 1-0 win over Croatia here tonight. When Ronaldo first jogged onto the field, I turned to my neighbor in the press tribune (Scott Reid of the Orange County Register) and we exchanged looks of horror. "Oh my god," I said. "He's huge."

Matters hardly improved once the whistle blew. Slowed by the spare tire around his waist, Ronaldo has nothing of the explosiveness that once struck fear into the world's defenders. He created no danger with his pace, and his only legitimate chance on the night was a shot over the bar from long range early in the second half. Ronaldo's impotence in front of the goal only became more apparent once he left the game (to lusty whistles from the crowd) and his replacement -- the ascendant 22-year-old Robinho -- brought an instant spark of speed and unpredictability to the game.

Ronaldo has had a remarkable international career. His return to glory in World Cup '02 (after going through years of crippling injuries) is one of sports' all-time great comeback stories. But the World Cup doesn't give an Irving Thalberg career achievement award, and Ronaldo's quest to score three goals and break Gerd Muller's all-time World Cup record (14) is no reason to put Brazil's Hexa hopes in peril. The fact of the matter is this: With Ronaldo on the field tonight, Brazil was nowhere near as impressive as the Czech Republic was in its 3-0 whitewash of the U.S. on Monday.

Are you listening, Carlos Alberto Parreira? As much as it may hurt, the time is right to pull the plug on No. 9. Is there anyone out there who doesn't agree with me on this? (Nope, didn't think so.)

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289 Comments:

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Posted: 5:56 PM   by Anonymous
Fair enough
Posted: 5:57 PM   by Anonymous
"There once was a man
Round as a ball
Four feet wide
and four feet tall"
Posted: 5:58 PM   by Anonymous
I concur. Bench Ronaldo. He looked fat, lazy, lethargic and spoiled. Robinho added spark and actually ran as opposed to waddle. The problem is that the prima donna and drama queen will probably cause controversy and a huge scene that may affect the team. Adriano was not that far off from Ronaldo either, however. Argentina is smiling!!!!
Posted: 6:00 PM   by Anonymous
i agree with you totally, Ronaldo has eaten his way onto the bench
Posted: 6:00 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo looked slow, over weight and did more watching than playing during the game. The side line judge had more perspiration on him than Ronaldo.
Posted: 6:00 PM   by Troy
Hey mailbag guy,

If the US -- God forbid -- loses all three matches, Keller would have an 0-0-6 record. Would that be the worst all-time record for a goalkeeper in the World Cup? I sure hope we don't lose all three, but this question just leapt to mind....
Posted: 6:01 PM   by Anonymous
seriously, Ronaldo looks like he has taken a page out of the immortal Fridge Perry's book, or eaten the whole thing.
Posted: 6:07 PM   by Anonymous
Hey Troy, an 0-0-6 record would indicate all ties. i believe what you meant to say was 0-6-0.
Posted: 6:07 PM   by Anonymous
He looked bad today; I think he'll get one more chance to show he can play, especially because Brazil managed the 3 points, but that'll probably be his last chance.

I'm not exactly ready to write him off just yet, though; through his career Ronaldo has shown moments of complete disinterest and followed them up with brilliance. I think everyone was ready to write him off last World Cup, too, and look what happened there.

And let's not slam Adriano too much. Not his best game, but he was active and was probably hampered by being paired with a rather inactive Ronaldo. 4-4-2 only really works if you have to mark both people up top.
Posted: 6:08 PM   by Anonymous
he should be benched....the one time he ran was when he was running off the field to the bench....

its a real shame to see such a great player who is so close to breaking the world cup goal scoring record lose his touch, but he was a burden to his team today. Robinho would work alot better up front with Adriano, Kaka, and Ronaldinho.
Posted: 6:09 PM   by Anonymous
Neither Ronaldo nor Adriano looked very dangerous at all...even Ronaldinho seemed timid. Things are not good for Brazil when Roberto Carlos, at this stage, seems the most dangerous player on the field...
Posted: 6:09 PM   by Anonymous
That is just pathetic trying to make US team looked good by saying they were defeated by a superb opponent. Czech Rep. beat them because they were horrendous. Brasil did enough to win the match, let's leave it at that.
Posted: 6:13 PM   by SD Bayern
Easy Mr. Wahl. The fact is he is still dangerous if you can get the ball to his feet on the move. Im no big fan of his. But the fact is he just recovered from injury at the end of the La Liga season. Got blisters and a fever that kept him from training properly. Id recomend pulling him a little sooner for Robinho. And let Ronaldo get to match fitness. But Robinho wasnt real effective for Real Madrid this past season. And you see how easily he is pushed off the ball. Over rated is the term for Robinho. Brasil will have to win from midfield and let Ronaldo and Adriano poach some goals from deflections and loose balls from saves.
Posted: 6:17 PM   by Anonymous
brazil played well a man down until ronaldo was taken out.... once my favorite his inactivity deflated the chance to see brazil play true "joga bonita" .... please do not allow him to play again unless he can run
Posted: 6:19 PM   by Anonymous
If you bench him he will cause a stink, and take the story away from the very talented Brasilians. It's only one game, but the microscope is on him. Maybe he could not stop thinking of his beautiful girlfriend.
Posted: 6:19 PM   by Anonymous
4-4-2 also works when you have a ball at your feet 4 yards in front of the goal----like Adriano. Doesn't matter if Ronaldo is off his game on that missed shot by Adriano. Did he want the proverbail ribbon around it.
Posted: 6:22 PM   by Snubby
Ronaldo has been training Maradona in the off-season.
Posted: 6:23 PM   by Anonymous
He will come around after all this criticism.
Posted: 6:29 PM   by Anonymous
I think Ronaldo looked slow and sluggish but I still look and see 3 defenders on him at all times. He basically draws half of the opponents team to him and frees up shots for others. By the way, he would have looked amazing if he was playing on the U.S. team
Posted: 6:29 PM   by Anonymous
hes rich, gets any girl he wants, and apparently eats whatever he wants.

its the same thing that happens to girls once they get a man. its called being happy fat.
Posted: 6:29 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo the next Maradonna?? Only time will tell.
Posted: 6:30 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo looks to be in the same shape as Maradonna is now. He should be on the sidelines running sprints!
Posted: 6:31 PM   by Anonymous
I think Ronaldo is past his prime but every team is still terrified to see him half-jogging down the feild. Croatia kept like 2 or 3 guys on him. I say keep him in.
Posted: 6:31 PM   by Anonymous
By no means am I a Ronaldo fan or much less a Brazilian fan for that matter. If Ronaldo was really to be a negative factor to Brazil this World Cup and prevent them from getting into the Final, that be sweet taste for me.

However, I must say that the WHOLE Brazilian team looked like they were going through a warm-up rather than a WC Match, not just Ronaldo. His lack of activity I'm sure did not have to do with his incompitence, rather as a whole, it was decided not to put a full effort, to what we think of being the Brazilian team. (We'll get to see that level of play from them by the second round) Believe me, Brazil knows they don't have to sweat their forheads to get past these first 3 rivals, risking injury to any of their beloved "stars".

By the way, if you are looking for Robinho, Ronaldo, Adriano, or Ronaldinho, to be the STARS of this WC, you are wrong. The stellar of this team will be Kaka in this tournament.
Posted: 6:31 PM   by Anonymous
In regards to the Keller comment, if the U.S. does lose the next two with Keller in net, his WC record would actually be 0-5-0. Keller did not start the third game of the '98 Cup.
Posted: 6:32 PM   by J. Br.
even after robinho entered, adriano was still at least as ineffective as ronaldo. if you gotta bench, bench them both.
Posted: 6:32 PM   by Anonymous
I absolutely agree. He looked overweight, and generally poorly conditioned. He was not ready to play. If they want to start him in the next game fine, but they should have a quick hook if he doesn't come out with fire under his you know what. Robinho looked electric. Hope we see more of him.
Posted: 6:33 PM   by Anonymous
Grant Wahl - you obviously have no clue about football. So before you critize a great team and a great player like Ronaldo, maybe you should learn to draw fair comparisons. To say that Brasil was not impressive and compare their game to the Czhec win over the patethic U.S. team is ridicolous. Fact is, Croatia is a VERY good team (see their qualification stats) and if you knew anything about football, you would have realized that all that Croatia did was play very tight DEFENSE and double team Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, that's why the X factor had to step in with a surprise: Kaka! Because Ronaldo, Adriano and Ronaldinho had very little space. Give credit to Croatia for playing a great game, rather than criticizing the world's best team - in the history of football - the only team that comes close is the 1982 Brasil team. Yes, Ronaldo is looking big and overweight, but that does not mean he is not one of the best players in the world - and it's only the 1st game - you will see, he will score, and leave you with your mouth shut - trust me.
Posted: 6:34 PM   by editoonist
Totally agree. Looked like Brazil played with 10 men for most of the match. But it seems like the Brazilian team feel like they owe to him to put him in the starting lineup. They shouldn't repeat the mistake they made in 1998's final. Then like now Ronaldo was not fit to start.
Posted: 6:34 PM   by Anonymous
i dont think ppl should jugde him by one match and by his physical apperance as in "big". Croatia had very good deff.Ronaldo still a great player.
Posted: 6:36 PM   by Anonymous
North Americans knows nothing about soccer. Just wait and you will see at least 5 goals from Ronaldo
Posted: 6:36 PM   by Anonymous
Comments from Brazil. Yes, Ronaldo did not play well today, but just wait for a moment in another tight game for him to mark an important goal. He is not thru yet.
Posted: 6:38 PM   by Anonymous
It's too early to say. In 2002 the first match was about the same. Ronaldo did not play well. He will increase his performance during the competition
Posted: 6:38 PM   by Anonymous
Regardless of the Brazilian effort (probably less than optimal, but hats off to Croatia), it is not fair to say the Czechs looked as good or better. The fact is, the US looked as poor as any team in the Cup thus far, and the Czechs looked solid at the same time.
Posted: 6:38 PM   by Anonymous
No, Troy is right. 0-0-6....in Soccer, they have WINS-DRAWS-LOSSES

By the way, I hope the US lose all 3!!!!
Posted: 6:40 PM   by Anonymous
leave him in against australia and japan. if he doesnt produce then sit him the rest of the way
Posted: 6:40 PM   by carlos ary
I agree with you...
here in brazil everybody agrees with you... he is fat and he plays in the same position as adriano...
they both stay still in the field and don´t move enough....
it is very easy to outplay them...
they are both lethargic...
and robinho gives a more dynamic appeal to the game... creating more...
but parreira just said that he is going to start the game against australia....
that is why brazil may not win the world cup....

we all (brazilians) hope that parreira will come to his right mind and take him out of the team before it is too late and we confront italy/tchech republic/usa
and get out of the world cup....

when we beat argentina 4-1 robinho was playing (not ronaldo)....
parreira forgot that...
Posted: 6:41 PM   by stats
Roundaldo
Posted: 6:41 PM   by Anonymous
strikers have the luxury of taking plenty of time off in a match. 88 minutes of lethargy can be tolerated if not forgotten if they give 2 minutes of brilliance. ronaldo may not be a threat as he used to be. but he might yet be able to put it together for one or two legitimate chances on goal. i'd like to see him get one more game.
Posted: 6:41 PM   by Anonymous
So far we all agree that Ronaldo played pretty poorly, but lost in all this talk is a discussion of how good Robinho is. This kid's still pretty young, but I wouldn't be surprised if in another four years everyone's talking about him being the best player in the world.
Posted: 6:42 PM   by Anonymous
He looks out of shape. Even if he is overweight, the lethargy in his play warrants being cast off back to Brazil. Adriano suffered with his presence as well as most of the Brazilian players. Ronaldo needs to be man about it and step aside until he can play hard with loads of energy or just retire.
Posted: 6:43 PM   by Anonymous
Well i think ronaldo just had a bad game, he looked worried, i blame the media for all his problems, but they will eat their words This was just the first game let watch and see
Posted: 6:45 PM   by Anonymous
You are Crazy to BENCH one the TOP scores ever in World Cup Soccor ! One game doesnt make a World Cup...
Posted: 6:46 PM   by Anonymous
Any American judging a Brazilian soccer stud needs to take a look at his fatself first. Ronaldo can score more from his bed than any of you SI soccer wannabes...
Posted: 6:47 PM   by Anonymous
as much as we can talk about ronaldo, it's almost irrelevant. too many weapons to worry about one past his prime striker. the one who absolutely dominates the scene is obviously ronaldinho and his playmaking ability in the attacking midfield can compensate easily. i don't see this as that important. more an issue for fans like us to argue about
Posted: 6:48 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo won't eat himself INTO game shape, so comparisons to Ronaldo's 2002 slow start (and eventual Golden Boot award) miss the point: he was rusty in 2002, not fat.

What I don't undestand: when did this happen? In a sport where a sneeze in Brazil means the world catches cold, how did Ronaldo's weight receive so little attention. Real Madrid made no pronouncements about his match fitness all season, there were no reports of his early exit from games (national, European or club) except for "tacitcal" reasons related to the match, and no reports by the insatiable press in the runup to the WC.

It would be easier time hiding Shamu in a beta bowl than Ronaldo on the pitch! How does this get ignored until the first match?
Posted: 6:48 PM   by Anonymous
i do not agree with ronaldo on the field you have an almost goal anyminute even if the other 89 are useless soccer is for goals ...
Posted: 6:49 PM   by Suffering Brazilian
Fat, lazy and rich. We need also younger wings. Cafu (36) did nothing and Roberto Carlos (32) just shoot twice. Cicinho and Gilberto are a lot better. But no not exoect any change. Parreira is too stubborn
Posted: 6:50 PM   by Anonymous
what's with all the anti-north american crap? relax! i am from south america and i could care less if you're watching from the north pole or rio. as long as you're watching. always good to hear another opinion. no one here is a know-it-all...
Posted: 6:51 PM   by Anonymous
I agree with the poster that said that Rotundaldo looked in the same shape as Madonna is in now. I cannot help it as a Brazilian fan because I got the same sick feeling as I did in 98 and 82---like oh, oh...He needs windsprints now.
Posted: 6:52 PM   by Anonymous
I am an American living in Brazil and the brazilians have been calling this the Copa do Brazil. As far as they are concerned, it is in the bag. Tonight however, the mood here in Brazil is definitely more subdued. Ronaldo will be fine. He has aggravated Brazilian football fans before with a "laziness" on the field. And then he comes out and reminds us all why he is the best. His time may be ending, but it is not over yet. He will do something to make us all forget about this conversation we are having now.
Posted: 6:53 PM   by Anonymous
Leave him in. Ronaldo running down the field yelling, "GET IN MY BELLY!" to an opposing goalie would be pretty terrifying.
Posted: 6:55 PM   by Anonymous
I don't think Ronaldo should be pulled out of the brazilian team, even though he is out of shape he sould be given another chance to see if he can give out his best, remenber that even though he is out of shape Brazil won 1 to 0 and America lost by three points!
Posted: 6:56 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo was apathetic today, but I don't see it as being an issue of his weight- it's all attitude with him. He doesn't feel he owes anything to anyone, so with his little snit with our President this week (an overblown misunderstanding), he was pouting. Interesting: Brazil played better in the Confederations' Cup without him.
If Brazil don't win the Cup this time, please God, not Italy or Argentina; let's see someone less arrogant!
Posted: 6:57 PM   by Anonymous
it is obvious ronaldo is riding his laurels (and, no doubt, putting alot of strain upon them...that said, it will be brazil's aging defense that will prove to be their undoing when all's said and done...they are going to have to create defensive pressure from the front to take the heat off their backline...ronaldo clearly doesn't have the lungs to provide that for the brazillians...take a seat roundaldo!
Posted: 6:58 PM   by Anonymous
I didnt even catch the game, so I probably shouldnt be trying to defend Ronaldo at all...but he was never one to be very active in a game. In all the other World Cups, he kind of just hung out until he got 1 or 2 chances and he always seemed to capitalize. The guy is a finisher, he knows how to score goals, that is why he is on the field.
Posted: 6:58 PM   by Anonymous
look i am not much of a soccer fan, but to me it seems like you are overreacting a bit. brazil will easily make it out of the group, so ronaldo has plenty of time to get a feel for his pace or whatever, and i also think that one bad game does not justify benching a dude, especially a player who is typically as good as ronaldo is. give the guy another chance for sure, and see how he does. i am quite certain that that is what the coaches will do, give him another chance, and then MAYBE think about benching him. also you might note that perhaps his replacement looked good because of the time at which he came in, which i am sure was a decent way into the game. so of course a 22-year old who just came into a game that most of the people have been playing for say, 50 or 60 minutes already (i do not know exactly when ronaldo was taken out), will look considerably faster and better thn the dude who just played those 60 minutes and is now pretty exhausted. and so are the other players, so that is most likely why he looked so refreshing and better, because he was far less tired.
Posted: 6:59 PM   by Anonymous
many athletes stay past their prime in the hope of one last moment of glory, unfortunately many merely stain their legacy. At this point, Ronaldo appears to fit that billing nicely
Posted: 7:00 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo definitly didn't have his strongest match of his career today. But deciding what may be one of the greatest ever striker's last World Cup because of one off game is rediculous. It was out of line to even consider writing a story like this after one match and you will definitly be writing an apology story to him after he breaks the all-time world cup scoring record in a few matches.
Posted: 7:01 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo always starts off slow, but this was no excuse. He looked so much out of shape and hardly ran around the field. Brasil will give him one more chance to get his act together, then bench him.
Posted: 7:02 PM   by Anonymous
I don't agree at all!
Ronaldo is a great player!

And here are some other comments about why Brazil didn't play an intense game against Croatia today:

First of,Czech Republic's win over USA was no surprize because Czech republic is as strong as Germany or France. Brazil's one goal win over Croatia was no surprize neither and you can't say Brazil was only good but not great.I don't think Czech could score 3 goals against Croatia if they had a matchup. Also how about Brazil against USA? What do you think the score would be? 5-0 or 6-0 for Brazil? This means a matchup between two great teams won't end with too many goals and that's what happened today when Brazil took on Croatia
Posted: 7:07 PM   by Anonymous
Its funny to here criticism from US people. Are you guys talking about football or soccer. LOL
Posted: 7:07 PM   by mofobrasil
Bench Ronaldo after a bad performance in Brasil's World Cup opener? Not so fast. While Ronaldo was a nonfactor in this game, he is a great player and deserves a chance to start against the Aussies and redeem himself. If Ronaldo doesn't show improvement, then, sit him on the bench. I have a hunch Ronaldo will bounce back against Australia.
Posted: 7:07 PM   by Anonymous
you can't blame the Ronaldo, croatia had like 2-3 guys on him like the whole time he played. You people are out of your mind you shouldn't bench like the best player . and ronaldo gained a little weight but that doesn't mean anything next game he might score some goals we'll just see.
Posted: 7:08 PM   by mofobrasil
Not so fast. Ronaldo was a nonfactor in this game. But great players deserve a chance to redeem themselves. Ronaldo should start against Australia and if he doesn't bounce back from a bad start, then, he has played himself out of the lineup. I have a hunch Ronaldo will have a decent game against the Aussies.
Posted: 7:09 PM   by Anonymous
14 goals in Fifa???
Maybe before his ice cream break?
Posted: 7:09 PM   by Anonymous
I don't think he was ever that great.

Even when he was in his prime, Romario was better.

Ronaldo never quite was as good as he was hyped up to be, always outdone by someone else on the squad.

Now he looks like someone past his prime.
Posted: 7:09 PM   by tom
this is a great headline to get people to read a blog. the greatness ends there though. dramatic? yes.
drastic? yes.
not fully thought out? yes.
premature? also yes.
play ronaldo, give one of the best players in your country's history more than one world cup game to prove himself. if necessary, sub for the him in the second half.
Posted: 7:11 PM   by Kristian
Its not like talking about benching someone is gonna change the opinion of the coaches, who decides who goes in and out. I think everyone is just nervous about winning, and well thats why there really hasnt been a team who has done really well, they actually do worse then they do
Posted: 7:11 PM   by Anonymous
I agree that Ronaldo looked lethargic, but that whole game had a problem with tempo. I think Croatia played in a defensive shell, looking to counter or work from set pieces and to not expose themselves too easily. This is the second game, Germany v Costa Rica was the first, where the team losing had no sense of urgency in equalising. They seemed content with the result. Some of the games have lacked tempo and wonder just how much the weather is playing into this.
Posted: 7:12 PM   by Anonymous
not the best game from the brasilians ...we expect alot coz they are the champs...in the end little effort great result nothing else matters
Posted: 7:12 PM   by Anonymous
In his prime in 98 he disappeared and France won the Cup.

He was always an above average player that somewhat disappointed personal expectations while the team always delivered.
Posted: 7:12 PM   by Anonymous
Sadly Ronaldo looks unfit and sluggish. The fact of the matter is he has more talent than most teams combined even at his current weight. Imagine he was in the U.S.A team. He would be playing every minute. Not sitting on the bench and writers like you would be heralding his every achievement.
Give him a break.
Posted: 7:12 PM   by Anonymous
15 pounds overweight. Shameful!
Posted: 7:17 PM   by Anonymous
Armchair Critics. I despise you all. Ronaldo is a legend of the game. If he played in another team other than Brazil he would be heralded for his every move. Shows how much the USA knows about the WORLD GAME.
Posted: 7:18 PM   by Anonymous
south american futbol is lame. the best part is when the players dive... and roll around on the ground in agony... and beg for a foul... then jump up and carry on as if nothing happened. golden boot? how about golden dive! c'mon england!
Posted: 7:18 PM   by Anonymous
Like all great Brazilians, Ronaldo will redeem himself in the next game. Let's wait and see!
Posted: 7:19 PM   by Snubby
A hard fought close-to-the-vest victory over a Croatia team playing with fanatical fervor is nothing to overreact about. Brazil will ramp up and just explode soon. This team is so immensely talented there's no need to overanalize. If this team loses it will not be because Ronaldo is husky, it will be because some team plays a tactically perfect game and gets lucky against them.
Posted: 7:19 PM   by Anonymous
Brazil will not win the world cup becos Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano are in very poor form. I think they'll say bye bye to the world cup in the second around. trust me.
Posted: 7:20 PM   by Anonymous
Bench him. He does not have a step, he didn't chase balls, he didn't attack like he used to. Granted his one shot was a rocket and was close, but he should have been moving more to create more. Robihno came in charged them up - and did his portion.

Croatia didn't give them much space - true - but how could you really tell when he was a slug? Did he move or break for a pass?
Posted: 7:23 PM   by Anonymous
I read every post and agree with 'anonymous'...."Any American judging a Brazilian soccer stud needs to take a look at his fatself first. Ronaldo can score more from his bed than any of you SI soccer wannabes...
Posted: 7:24 PM   by Anonymous
We cannot judge an election for only one game, Brazil is favourite, but not a God of the soccer, the media nails a magical soccer, but magical they do not exist, we have that to be realistic and to always corer behind the ball...

sergiosbrandao@gmail.com
Posted: 7:27 PM   by Anonymous
Comparing Ronaldo with Maradona is ridiculous. Maradona is 46, abused drugs almost to death, but yet like him or not the greatest soccer (football) player to ever touch a ball and win a WC single handed (mexico 1986) or bring a team from the shadows to win the worldclass tournaments (Napoly). In 10 years people will remember Ronaldo only when they see his picture, Maradona is a landmark in world soccer (football) and 20 years after any new starlet that appears is compared to him as a reference.
Posted: 7:28 PM   by Anonymous
It was clear and simple Ronaldo the typical Italian style strikes well build but not very technically gifted vs Robinho the typical Brazilian forward with promise of greatness. Who do you think makes a better fit in Brazil?
Regards from Mexico
Posted: 7:29 PM   by Anonymous
He so fat his football boots will sink 8 ft into da ground!!!
Posted: 7:31 PM   by Anonymous
I would like to say for that person to say north americans dont know anything about soccer... I'd watch that...This editor is just quickly writing off a Brazil team, that will most likely eat any other team...Brazil is a team..not one player...if he sits, its his loss ..not theirs
Posted: 7:33 PM   by Anonymous
I dont agree. Ronaldo is a striker and he didnt have a chance to strike because of lack of service from the midfield. Adrianno was all the place.One would think he wasnt a striker coz of no service from the midfield.

Give Croatia credit they played Brazil well.they closed the midfield.Even Ronaldinho couldnt make much of an impact...so to blame Ronaldo of his ineffitiveness is wrong because his team couldnt get him hte ball in the first and he semed to be playing according to the team play and play his role. Too bad he was surrounded by 3 defenders mos of the time.
Posted: 7:33 PM   by Tim..
Though Ronaldo is "chunky", he is much better than any American player... If you compare brazil as a whole to US's team we (America) look pathetic... Seeing how the US played, I don't even think we deserve to be in the cup. Now comparing fat Ronaldo to any "experienced" US teammate... would be like comparing college soccer to kindergarteners playing soccer.
Posted: 7:35 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo looked very bad in today's game. He was not in any way a contributing factor in the Brazilian equation of impresive football. Therefore, bancing Ronaldo, as unbelivable as it seams, is a good move from the Brazilian coach.
Posted: 7:38 PM   by J MAC
There will end up being too much talk if Ronaldo is benched even if he is overweight and slow now. I think he should be benched and play Robinho becuase look at what happend when he came in the game today, changed the pace of the game.
Posted: 7:39 PM   by Anonymous
I agree with the fact that Ronaldo looked robust and out of shape.(Maradonna anyone?) But one game people, come on! This isn't like Landon Donovan, or those other pathetic MLS hacks disguised as World Cup participants. This is Ronaldo, one of the most prolific goal scorers of all time. Could you imagine if it was Brazil was playing the U.S. Brazil would have creamed them playing at 50 percent capacity, like they did today!! And Ronaldo would have scored 10 goals!! Then we wouldn't be talking about him in this manner.
Posted: 7:39 PM   by Anonymous
Thank You very much... so far you were the only one who said it, I appreciate your honesty. My brother and I were watching the game, and gosh i said it to him, He is wasting great chances. Time for him to retire with a great name atleast
Posted: 7:40 PM   by Anonymous
No doubt brazilien players looked quite overplayed today, toll of a long season in the top leagues in europe.
Ronaloaldo clearly out of form today, but Ronaldinho and Adriano as well.
That is the sad point of a long season for a soccer afficionado, the top stars of the game, had to conquer to much crucial games.
You rarely see the best of them on them on the top of all tournemants since the invention of the Champions League.
For these reason Brazil is not a top favorite of mine, depite their obvious skills, all are playing for top clubs.
Just one of those guys on the pitch didn't participate in two dozen of champion team matches, that's were the money is made in europe.

Otherwise this team is just to old, it's not baseball, there are no heroic sentimental stories of the last rocket, a Gibbs, a Henrich or other loveble guys.
But if Perreira hangs on to Ronaldo, Cafu (what a great player) and Roberto Carlos, they will be out against any solid team, like Italy,Argentine,England Netherland or Tchecheslovakia as well.

Greetings from Cologne/Germany
Posted: 7:42 PM   by Anonymous
I disagree....Ronaldo is still able to change a game at a moments notice - he is that type of a player. Turning to the bench in the second half when he is tired is fair enough, but he is still worth keeping as a starter.
Posted: 7:42 PM   by Anonymous
When Michael Jordon was past his prime and playing for the pathetic Washington Wizards, THEY GOT ON NATIONAL TV! Jordon's competitiveness caused others to respect his game even when he couldn't physically do the things he did in his glory days.

Much can be said for Round-aldo. Yeah, he's heavy, yeah, he's not going to run, but at the very least, he's the perfect decoy to draw defenders away from Kaka and Ronaldinho....the REAL threats on the team today.

Taking him out allows for other teams to focus their defense on the viable offensive threats.

As an American, I'm still hoping to get our team through to round 2......(where we'd probably play Brasil by the way)......who are we to say that Futbol's best should be on the bench....when we can't even get our sportscasts to highlight the beautiful game in the news for more than 5mins?

I don't fault Ronaldo for his size, just his effort. All he needs to do is 'look' interested, to cause other teams to tremble.

He's the real deal until the Cup is taken from him.
Posted: 7:42 PM   by Anonymous
who wrote this? is this guy stoned? look at the record pal, brazil did what they needed to do, win and relax, in soccer you don't use more gas than needed... like you do with surely your SUV... learn soccer see the records of the best, meaning BRAZIL BY FAR!!! south AMerica dominates the world cups period!
Posted: 7:42 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo looked better against France in 98 than he did today.
Posted: 7:45 PM   by F.Leter
Brazil is just doing us a favor by using 10 valid players and Ronaldo. If Robinho starts,there would be no match against "the fantastic four".
However,I don't think Ronaldo has lost his magic, and the more we say he's done the better off he'll be, as opponent's defensemen might not pay much attention to him..
GO BRAZIL!
Posted: 7:46 PM   by Anonymous
who wrote this? is this guy stoned? look at the record pal, brazil did what they needed to do, win and relax, in soccer you don't use more gas than needed... like you do with surely your SUV... learn soccer see the records of the best, meaning BRAZIL BY FAR!!! south AMerica dominates the world cups period!
Posted: 7:47 PM   by Anonymous
All you need is a pie and a caipirinha to defend Ronaldo!!!!!
Posted: 7:51 PM   by Anonymous
Greetings from Brazil.

Regarding Ronaldo, I couldn´t agree more. The problem is that Parreira is too stubborn to bench him and start Robinho. The whole world could see it. The World Cup Finals are not a spa for one to get in shape, when clearly there are better alternatives at the moment.

Parreira never listens to what other people say, and he already said Ronaldo will be in the starting lineup against Australia. It seems like it´s going to be a looong Cup, as it was in ´94.

But comparing Croatia and US team is a little too much; Croatia is a MUCH better team.

Anyways, I believe Brazil is going to do better next match. And look for Kaka, not Ronaldinho, to be the star of this World Cup (i DO hope Ronaldinho prove me wrong, by the way).
Posted: 7:52 PM   by Anonymous
Greetings from Brazil.

Regarding Ronaldo, I couldn´t agree more. The problem is that Parreira is too stubborn to bench him and start Robinho. The whole world could see it. The World Cup Finals are not a spa for one to get in shape, when clearly there are better alternatives at the moment.

Parreira never listens to what other people say, and he already said Ronaldo will be in the starting lineup against Australia. It seems like it´s going to be a looong Cup, as it was in ´94.

But comparing Croatia and US team is a little too much; Croatia is a MUCH better team.

Anyways, I believe Brazil is going to do better next match. And look for Kaka, not Ronaldinho, to be the star of this World Cup (i DO hope Ronaldinho prove me wrong, by the way).
Posted: 7:52 PM   by Anonymous
yeah - sorry buddy. Having seen Ronaldo play for Real - which most of the commenters hear obviously have not - he's got an amazing burst and he finishes well. And yes, the Czechs looked great against the Americans - but that's because the Americans have looked the poorest squad in the cup. The croats played on their half and bunched well (making their midfield play somewhat difficult). Bringing in Robihno added pace to take on the long balls that were the only way to counterattack. The croats played valliantly - but Brazil is just that much better. Please crawl back under your rock, or watch the spanish league for a couple years like I have, and then maybe you'll have something worth adding to this discussion.
Posted: 7:55 PM   by Anonymous
Totally disagree. Ronaldo is still trying to find his game, and we must be patient. Don't forget that he is always being marked by at least three defenders, leaving faster players free to try to score. Besides, Ronaldo is like Romario. He may not even touch the ball for the most part of the game, but when he does, he is lethal; he can decide a game with one of his phenomenal goals.
Posted: 7:57 PM   by Anonymous
Yes, Rolando looked alien to the game. Surprising! To give the benefit of the doubt, I think he was ill or was carrying a previous injury. None the less, he can produce. He has proven many a times. Perrera can bench him after giving a second chance, that's what I can say.
Posted: 8:00 PM   by Anonymous
with or whitout Ronaldo Brazil will be the World Champion, the best team in cup. no doubt...
Posted: 8:02 PM   by Anonymous
I fully agree. Ronaldo's good times have elapsed and his presence will jeopardize Brazil's chances to become a six-time-champion.
Posted: 8:03 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo BEST player, its hard to do something when u have the croatian team marking you
Posted: 8:04 PM   by Anonymous
ronaldo will get better.3 defenders marking him is way too much, but come on japan and austalia? even thought he´ll have 3 guys on him he can do it hes a proven striker.
Posted: 8:07 PM   by Anonymous
A few comments on the posts here:

1) Ronaldo won't complain if benched... it's the media who would chew up Pereira - especially in Brazil.

2) Robinho is too slight to stand up to the big defenders he'll face. Every Cup Brazil has a jitterbug on the bench - like Denilson or Ronaldinho in previous tournaments. This cup is Robinho's cup of coffee.

3) Ronaldo will perform. The most important thing is the respect of hsi teammates and coaches. If they are happy with his performance over the last month of training, that's all that matters.

4) Adriano was as invisible as Ronaldo. Both Ronaldo and Adriano will play a bigger part as vertical passing lanes in the middle of the field appear.

5) Ronaldinho was also in and out today. Playing three times in two weeks will increase the momentum of Brazil going into Round Two.
Posted: 8:07 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo has looked sluggish for the past season in La Liga, so his perfomance today is not at all surprising but rather,it is a confirmation of his demise as a player. Parreira did more running today along the sideline than Ronaldo did during the game. Bring in Juninho ...
Posted: 8:09 PM   by Anonymous
One tire, more like 10! Ronaldo is as much ego as he is fat!!!
Posted: 8:11 PM   by Anonymous
Have you ever heard of Maradonna? Football isn't a beauty contest.....
Posted: 8:11 PM   by Anonymous
I´m a spaniard, Back here in Spain we are tired of commenting on the "ronaldo is fat" issue weekend after weekend. That has been going on for 2 years.
Yeah, he´s fat.
But back here we know one thing: give him twenty meters to run with the ball at his feet. Once he starts running, and has gained speed, there´s no player in the world able to stop the guy.

Besides, Ronaldo just needs to touch the ball twice to score two goals. He´s still got the touch.

God, i can´t believe i´m praising the guy, I support atletico¡¡¡ (Real´s home rival)
Posted: 8:11 PM   by Anonymous
I love all of these comments saying that Americans can't judge football. I don't see any of you folks out there scoring goals - nor being paid for your official sports opinion.

Thanks to the Brasilieros for owning up with their own opinions.

Most of the rest of you are probably from non-qualifying countries anyway.

But I agree that one game doesn't really count. Give a second. But be prepared to pull him quickly.
Posted: 8:18 PM   by Chris
The Ronaldo you saw is fat not so quick as he was and very bad...

And what? He can do thinks that the chechs forwards cannot even dreamed about even in this sutuation he is.

I want to see if brazil plays with Chechs how much defender will be after Ronaldo and how many will chase Baros.

You miss the point. No matter what the media say Brazil till the next round and may be and in the next will just no play football. All players have many many matches and they are not going to burn themselves from the first rounds. They can win just playing the 40% of what they can play nad kepp going.

I do not like that as a fan but thats how the modern footbal is if you wanna go till the end win.

The only reason the "old" Brazil had not win always was because they didnt play for the results and play for their funs. These days are over.

And as I see all the stupid media against Ronaldo I want to just say to go find something else to play. Ronaldo is among the 10 best forward players the world football have ever seen and its not like to judge him from the first round of an easy going or better to say "trining" warming up match for Brazil.

Have fun.
Posted: 8:27 PM   by Anonymous
Hey Chris...

Lay off the caffeine and learn how to type...If RonaldoMcDonaldo is drawing 3 defenders, leave his fat rearend in.
Posted: 8:28 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is Ronaldo... wait for him in the other matchs.
Posted: 8:31 PM   by Joshua
Ronaldo is at least a proven quantity. Give him another game or two to get on track. If he doesn't, bench him. The fact of the matter is, Brazil has some breathing room and can get out of group play not on top of their game and still have nine points. They can use that flexibility to give Ronaldo another chance. And, quite frankly, I wasn't impressed at all by Robinho. He's a great actor, but all he can add to the Brazilian offense is a couple of extra free kicks and maybe a yellow card or two with all the flops the kid takes.
Posted: 8:31 PM   by Anonymous
He was the best of best, but now is time to take best of the present time. It is best idea to take him out.
Posted: 8:31 PM   by Anonymous
I presonally believe that all this talk about Ronaldo is simply a reaction to a seemingly poorly excecuted first game. Too much emphasis is being placed on Ronaldo himself, and too little being placed on his circumstances. The Croation formation was set up in such a way that there would always be an excess number of defenders on the two strikers throughout the game. If you watch the game closely, you'll see that throughout the game, Ronaldo would have two or three defenders surrounding him when the ball wasn't even in Brazil's possesion. We, the spectators, need to actually think about the team's situation and formation before jumping to any conclusions. Benching Ronaldo at this point would be rather pointless, if one's justification for doing so is based off of Brazil's game with Croatia. Yes, it's apparent that he has gained weight, however, that doesn't mean he's not good, or even great. He still remains one of the best, if not the best, strikers in the world, and I'm sure everyone knows that. The Croations obviously know that when they place numerous defenders on him while giving up manpower on their offensive side. I believe we'll see the true skills of Ronaldo and the Brazilian team in the next match. As someone stated earlier, this was just a warm-up.
Posted: 8:35 PM   by Anonymous
Yes it seems the game is passing "Roundnaldo" by.
Posted: 8:37 PM   by Anonymous
keep him in, give him one more chance, for all his has done for the country and soccers fans around the world, he deserves another chance to prove himself.
Posted: 8:39 PM   by Anonymous
It must be said, Ronaldo certainly doesn't seem to be deserving of a spot and it really should not be a surprise. He had a relatively poor season with Real and his performance today was merely a microcosm of the malaise he endured during La Liga. This being the case, the question then becomes who should replace him. Robinho, the so called prodigy who really didn't accomplish too much for Real either? I guess it is a testimony to the strength of the team that they overcame Croatia in spite of the lack of any lethality up front, but like England such performances probably will not serve them well against the likes of Italy, Germany, Portugal nor the Czechs who have had the most impressive openers so far.
Posted: 8:41 PM   by Anonymous
I only see the media against Ronaldo I know all the hatters said the same thing He looked fat, lazy, lethargic, how can you judge a player on one game? Ronaldo is among the 10 best forward players the world football have ever seen and its not like to judge him from the first round of an easy going or better to say "trining" warming up match for Brazil.Fair enough he look slow, but Croatia wasn't playing to win anyway they were just looking for a tie anyway. Wait til we get into the second round, than you can post all your Renaldo jokes. Brasil did enough to win.
Just wait and see he will come around after all this criticism.
Posted: 8:42 PM   by Anonymous
He looked like a fat Donut......he needs to ride the bench.
Posted: 8:43 PM   by Anonymous
YAh YAhYah, You are a just jealous !

Ronaldo is like Romario on late day, can strike at any game, any time, any moment, even fat as he `looks`now ! I rather have him playing 30-40 minutes than any player on US Squad. Brazil has many great players at the bench. Lots of Options out there and if needed coach will replace him as time goes by.
Posted: 8:43 PM   by Anonymous
Well! Well! Well!

I have read the comments. I am not saying that they are all wrong, but I want to believe that we are reading too much into this. From the very beginning, I was asking myself what was going on with this Brazilian team. I am a fan of this team, but suddenly, I said to myself, it is the whole team that seems to be resting on the pith. I want to believe that it's done on purpose. They are probably taking it easy, saving their energy for the second phase of the competition. If you look closely, you would agree with me that these brazilians were just walking on the pitch... Adriano, Ronaldo, all of them were walking on the pitch. I have never seen that before. One never know, that may be an arrangement between them. SAving energy for future. Who knows?
Posted: 8:45 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is only 29 years old. He is far from finished. Yes he put on some weight and looked a bit slow but he is coming back from injury, blisters, and poor health. He should not yet be written off as a lost cause.

Benching is appropriate at this stage in his return to soccer, but let us not jump to conclusions and read too deeply into it. A benching now should be simply a response to his current state of conditioning -- not forced resignation, so to speak. -Rich in Chicago
Posted: 8:46 PM   by Anonymous
People, the only thing that matters is the win. Maybe if they felt a little more challenged they may have expended more energy. This is only the first game, a great chance to get the corks out, and just relax and play. Only time will truly tell. Its quite funny to me that most here are ready to discount him, when we are the ones watching the games from the beloved sofa.
Posted: 8:48 PM   by Anonymous
I laugh at most of these comments for 2 reasons: the first is that those who are upset at the article suggesting that Ronaldo should be benched, can't spell. The second reason is that there are alot of people who claim they know football more than others. To the person who claims that Ronaldo will score goals and make Wahl shut his mouth is an obvious Brazilian fanatic who "got cut" and should leave passions aside and get back to reality. The bottom line is that if the midfield can't supply the ball to the strikers then how can they perform anyway and ultimately score? Perhaps Croatia did a great job holding down the midfielders thus choking the ball supply to Adriano and "Roll"naldo. So my point is that one can not make judgements on any team based on their performance on their very first world cup game. Make the judgement after three!! You going to tell me Germany played great against Costa Rica? Let us see how Germany play again against Poland or Ecuador! When it comes to Brazil, playing Australia and Japan should be a walk in the park anyway, so maybe we did see the best Brazil could muster!
Posted: 8:49 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo should still start since that was his first non-friendly game in 3 months. For all that Robinho did, he did not score. I think Robinho gives them more coming off the bench. I do believe Ronaldo needs to show more effort. I would start him next game and bring Robinho in sooner, around 55-60 minute mark if no improvement from Ronaldo. If no changes, then bench him during the elimination rounds.
Posted: 8:53 PM   by Boosterdose
This is obviously a mistake. I agree that Ronaldo did not play well. However, have you ever watched him play? Have you even seen him run around for possessing the ball like kaka? No. This is the way he plays. Once he has the ball, he has a sudden acceleration.

Having said that, this was one of his worst games (probably second only to the world cup final 8 years back). That doesnt mean he wont come back. He is probably suffering from an injury.

He has put on weight, but for all you critics out there...go watch his games with Real Madrid and you will see the same overweight Ronaldo scoring stunning and amazing goals.
Posted: 9:02 PM   by Raulinho
Comparing the US to Croatia is similar to comparing Halle Berry to Camryn Manheim. Sure they're both women, but...

Sure the Croats and US both play Futbol but..

Ronaldo will be fine, Robinho Pedalada is there to provide what Ronaldo cannot provide, Youth and Energy. Ronaldo will start, Robinho will finish. Basta.
Posted: 9:03 PM   by Anonymous
A couple things.
First of all, Ronaldo is almost always a non-factor for the majority of the game, but like a lot of the great players (Beckham for instance), there is the one moment where he completely busts open the game with a spectacular goal. The fact that he does pretty much glide (or walk as he did today) through the entire game as pissed off Real fans for years.
Secondly, he has been injured and like Shaq does in the NBA playoffs, I would expect him to gain fitness and lose weight as Brazil progresses through their 7 games.
Both things having been said, I see nothing wrong with bringing in Robinho or Juninho around the 60th minute if indeed he is ineffective as he was today.
Posted: 9:03 PM   by Anonymous
I'm not a Brazil fan, by nay means, but the truth is that Brazil's least talented player sitting at the end of the bench probably has more talent than the most talented player on half of the other World Cup teams. They can do just fine without Ronaldo.
Posted: 9:03 PM   by Anonymous
Why are you guys so surprised?
The real problem is not Ronaldo. This is Parreira's game. His coaching style takes the life out of soccer. Even Ronaldinho's creativity was curtailed in the second half, and I bet he was following Parreira's wisdom.
Unfortunately, expect more of the same...
Posted: 9:05 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is a selfish pig...he will lift his game when he needs to (just like in 2002, when he was shopping for a new club...much like he will be later this summer).
Posted: 9:06 PM   by Anonymous
Yes, there is someone who disagrees with you. Ronaldo looked like utter crap, there's no denying that. Yet to win the World Cup, Brazil needs a Ronaldo at least in decent shape and form. Robinho is good, but with him starting instead of a decent Ronaldo, Brazil is only as good as Czech, Argentina, Holland, or Italy. When Ronaldo is on, he has to be doulbe or triple teamed. Because he nor Adriano were doing anything, Croatia was able to triple team Ronaldinho without having to worry about Ronaldo or Adriano. Ronaldo may have only jogged once or twice during the whole game, which is pathetic. The good news is there's no way his fitness can possibly be that low. The biggest problem is that he doesn't have the desire. Parreira needs to tell him that if he doesn't see effort, he's going to take him out, even it's after only 20 minutes. Brazil is a lock to go through to the second round. They need to spend the remaining two games focusing on getting Ronaldo back in shape and on form. If Ronaldo isn't ready by the time the second round approaches, then Robinho should play instead, where Brazil will have to rely on someone having a dominating performance against the likes of Italy, then Spain, and then England in what is surely the hardest path any team has after the group stage.
Posted: 9:06 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is an amazing soccer player! One game does not determine Ronaldo's overall performance. He has contributed alot to his team and will improve his performace for sure .. just like the other years where he improved and left us Brasil fans some soccer moments we will never forget!
Posted: 9:13 PM   by Anonymous
It brakes my heart to see it happen but it's been coming for a while now, in madrid the effects of his balloonmindastate was not only visible on his frame. Today was just horrible. Being a longtime fan on and off the field, I hope he can prove all of us wrong and show that what made him the living football-legend that he is today
Posted: 9:13 PM   by Raven
Parreira has said, again and again, that Brazil won't reach their stride till the second round- fine. The squad will gel, and make a run for the title- count on that. However, Ronaldo's weight aside, what shocked me most was his apparent disinterest. I don't believe he cares enough about the team- he plays for himself, and feels he owes nothing to no one. 95 million Brazilian men (myself among them) would do anything to play in the World Cup. Perhaps it's time we look for someone who will play with heart.
Posted: 9:17 PM   by Anonymous
Problem is: we must respect the guy for what he has done in the past. Ditch him may be good for Brazil, but it would be devastating for Ronaldo. Let's give a couple of more chances to the guy.
Posted: 9:18 PM   by BernZ
hey guys! Ronaldinho may be the biggest star fro brazil this time but, Ronaldo is still Ronaldo. He may have eaten the whole stock in the fridge but his presence will always be a treat. He will always stay as a factor in opposing teams equation. They simply can't cancel this man out.
Posted: 9:19 PM   by Anonymous
All i think is that Ronaldo needs to warm up!, he had a slow start but it will finish off with a BANG!!

Even if Ronaldo doesnt play good in this tournament, the whole Brazil team is good, they dont need to rely on one person the whole team is good
Posted: 9:20 PM   by Anonymous
I saw the whole game & i totally agree. ronaldo did not make any impact at all. he was a pale shadow of his former self
Posted: 9:24 PM   by Anonymous
I agree with one of the comments below. Ronaldo can be lethargic for 85 out of 90 mins. All we need to see is a good 5 minutes. He controlled the ball only once and see what happened. He made the defense and goalie tremble. You do not bench a player like Ronaldo. Him, like the rest of the team are just warming up!!! To the writer of this article, your short sightness is typical of an American Soccer writer. Stick to basketball or football.
Posted: 9:25 PM   by Anonymous
What game were you watching? That wasn't Ronaldo; that was Barry Bonds doing rehab.
Posted: 9:26 PM   by Anonymous
He may look fat, lazy and unfit but what has Ronaldo done for his team? He has shot goals, won the world cup soo....why should he be benched? Brazil need him to beat australia and Brazil doesn't know whats comming to them!
Posted: 9:29 PM   by Q
Since I'm brazilian I think I've got the right to tell that you are all envy because of our best players, including Ronaldo...just leave him be...he was, and still is a phenomenon
Posted: 9:31 PM   by Anonymous
He does not look THAT fat in the picture from the game.
Posted: 9:34 PM   by MOJO
Hey Chris...

Lay off the Caffeine and type s-l-o-w-l-y...If Ronaldo/McDonaldo is drawing 3 defenders, keep his fat butt in the lineup.
Posted: 9:41 PM   by Anonymous
This is a player that is NOT trying. Do you all understand? The Croatians are just as good in World Soccer as Toni Kukoc is good in the NBA; good but not great.

We saw this before in 2002 when Ronaldo was slow to get going and he turned out to get the scoring title.

After realizing this, for those of you that still insist he is ineffectual just ask the Croatians if they agree. They committed three defenders on him most of the match.

Personally, I know the Brazlians did not play up to their level this opening game, but hey, they will only get better.

The fact of the matter is Ronaldo will get better and so will his team.

The band wagon is this way ----> (WAGON). Go ahead and jump off the haterade mobile lol
Posted: 9:44 PM   by Anonymous
You know what the british fans say when they watch him in the Spanish Premeir League?

"Ronaldo, Ronaldo, thick and round. He cannot run but is worth a million pounds!"

Players do not become fit over-night, it takes time. Ronaldo will not be fit for this World Cup. Though at any rate, he won't ruin Brazil's chance to win a world cup. They have more than enough talent :D
Posted: 9:47 PM   by Anonymous
As they say, denial is not just a river in Egypt. When the even president of Brazil is saying that the guy is fat, he's fat. Those defending Ronaldo have a very typical European defense. They say, "look what he did, you could never do that yourself." The key is the past tense. The French built Notre Dame, the Spaniards "discovered" the new world, and the Italians built Rome, but none of them have done ANYTHING since then. If it weren't for the Brits and the Germans, Europe would be a useless continent.

Ronaldo is DONE. Make way for the new players. Get out of the past and DEAL WITH IT. Oh yeah, and my dad can beat up your dad...
Posted: 9:48 PM   by Achille
If you think that Brasil should send Ronaldo home, then the entire USA squad should be on the first leg of the flight with him...
Posted: 9:58 PM   by Anonymous
I do not mean to be rude, but it is truly fortunate that most of all these "experts" that have been posting comments so far are not coaching the brazilian team. For sure, that was not a demonstration of "jogo bonito". The team had its faults and, for a good part of the second half, the croats dominated and managed to create some scoring situations which were not leveraged or blocked by the brazilial goalkeeper Dida. But to say that Brazil will not make it much farther and that it should bench Ronaldo, shows a lack of understanding of strategy and the importance of individual talent on today's soccer.

During the first phase, Ronaldo will continue to be on the field (at least until the second half of the game). He will continue to draw 2 or 3 defenders and create spaces for others. If he scores once or twice, even if he still demonstrates the same lack of mobility and apathy, he will still be on the field on the second phase. Parreira's goal is to get Ronaldo fit again giving the fact that he's been two months away from the fields and has played with a fever today. With all the weight controversy, he still retains that capability to decide the game in one single play (see the only play he had possesion and turned to the goal today). Robinho, for all his talents and skills, will remain a second and excellent option to give the attack greater mobility and options when the oponent is getting tired in the second half.

Most of the comments I read were made simpy out of spite for both Ronaldo and Brazil, being the "favorite" and all. Today, Brazil has not shown it can go all the way back to Berlin on July 9. But a quick retrospective will show you that since 82, all first games Brazil played have been close calls. The real test will be whether Brazil - and Ronaldo - can make the best of a good break and continue to improve beyond the mediocre game played against Croatia. My money's still on Brazil and on Ronaldo.
Posted: 10:01 PM   by wake343
you americans dont know soccer thats why you lost 3x0 to Czech ... this is exactly what ronaldo needs your guys crits... ronaldo will bounce back.. but i give him 2 more games. if in the second round he doesnt bounce then put robinho in.. BRASIL ALL THE WAY BABY!!1
Posted: 10:03 PM   by galaxian44
Brazil should play Adriano or Ronaldo, not both. When both strikers are target men and don't make runs, it clogs up the passing lanes. Brazil has the best passers in the world but look how few through balls were successful. I say start Robinho and bring Ronaldo off the bench. Maybe that will give him the incentive he needs. Brazil is still the best team in the tournament- then Argentina (if Messi ever plays), then maybe Italy. Czech's have too many injuries and England has no attack without Rooney.
Posted: 10:06 PM   by Anonymous
I think they should bench Ronaldo because i barely saw Ronaldo run the only time i saw him run was when he was subbed out and he was running to the bench!!!!!!!!
Posted: 10:07 PM   by Anonymous
I agree, from an objective point of view. But the Brazilian Coach is not an objective observer. There may be other considerations such as team harmony, etc. I think Brazil can still win it even with Ronaldo still on the field. Or maybe he will generously admit that he is slowing down the Big Brazilian Machine, and offer to sit himself on the bench? I can pray, can't I?
Posted: 10:09 PM   by Quelli
Ronaldo is overweight. Everyone could see it. And I agree with everyone who said he didn't do anything during this FIRST GAME.

However, it's too early to say BENCH Ronaldo or that Brazil won't win the World Cup. We have a GREAT team, and at least we won our first game. Let's just wait... for the second game and see what is gonna happen.

As a brazilian fan I really hope for the next games the whole team plays better than today!!!

So we can still keep going RUMO AO HEXA!!!!

I LOVE BRAZIL!!!!!!
Posted: 10:12 PM   by Anonymous
Three comments:
1: He played bad.
2: He will become much better.
3: It is not the correct time to bench him yet.

From an Arg fun.
Posted: 10:13 PM   by Anonymous
Croatian team is very united and hard to beat.It was not their day, otherwise Brasil should be beaten by 2 goals.Croatia showed today that it can offer a tough game if soccer is played by knwledge and heart.It is to bad that luck was on Brasil side.I hope that other national teams can see and understand that Brasil must play a lot better to continue with their superiority in soccer.
Posted: 10:19 PM   by Anonymous
For a player that has done so much for brazillian football we a quick to put him down after one little problem we should be ashamed
Posted: 10:20 PM   by iceman
your retarded if you think ronaldo sucks. he wasnt spectacular however he hardly had opportunities to show his skill..one or two shots. how many others missed shots or went over the goal for that matter. I didnt see much of a performance in any brazil player. croatia however played a great game, defended well, and made opportunities. Maybe most of you just had high hopes for brazil to stomp croatia and instead they put up a challenge.
Posted: 10:28 PM   by Anonymous
Brasil looked very beatable today....although the media is still cramming how great they are down our throats.
Posted: 10:30 PM   by Anonymous
Why Eveyone is so hush on Renaldo. YOu guys need to remember Ronaldo brought back Brazil in the game. I think the reason why he was playing that is the fact that he used to be the # 1 star of the team now he is second. I think the second game will definately see the Ronaldo that we used to see. Just a little compasion for the guy. It's just a game, not a life threathing matter.

GO USA, USA, USA USA....
Posted: 10:30 PM   by Anonymous
no way, would be crazy to bench ronaldo, one game mean nothing, ask the madridistas , do not write of ronaldo he would get in line real soon ,, anyone that try to bench ronaldo en a would cup no have any idea what is going on,,, just one game , patient with the star happen before with him ttwo months without play ,
Posted: 10:31 PM   by Anonymous
I agree his goal of becoming the top scorer has nothing to do with Brazil goal of being champions again.
But I disagree Ronaldo is fat. He's strong. He has grown up and is not that young boy anymore.

But Ronaldo and Adriano can't play on the same team. They're both players meant to score, not to assist.

In my opinion, Robinho should replace one of them.
Posted: 10:33 PM   by Anonymous
Once Ronaldo realized how he was going to be marked, he floated to areas to pull defenders out, opening thinggs up for his teammates. He's not an idiot. He fumbled a couple touches, but that is more a result of not touching the ball enough. Sure, he needs to get into game shape, but for my money, he's still the #1 striker in the game...especially when it counts. Did anyone see the game at the Nou camp this season? He looks about the same now as he did then and he scored a goal that was difficult and he made it look easy. Kaka is a stud and wants to show his quality more than the others but this team will get alot better. They play with the end in mind, and with 6 more games to go you gotta pace yourself.
Posted: 10:33 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is not fat first of all. He has normal weigh for his height. Although, for a football player he has a few extra pounds/kilos but that does not make him overweight. Look at Cafu, he is 36 years old and weigh a few pounds/kilos less than Ronaldo. But you all saw him play today, he did good for his age and weigh. There was something else bothering Ronaldo today....

Anyway, he could not be as fast as he was in 2002, but he still remains a very dangerious stricker. Remember that he is not old for a player nor fat as you put it. So, I am sure we will see the real #9 in this World cup.
Posted: 10:36 PM   by Anonymous
Why make excuses for the man? It is not just the quality of his play now, but the fact that he is a shadow (metaphorically, certainly not literally) of his former self means he should ride the pine (or the Recaro comfy chairs, a bunch of BS in their own right). Watching him WALK BACK SLOWLY 10 yards offside over and over again was almost as embarrassing as watching the US play towards the wrong goal for 90 minutes.
Posted: 10:42 PM   by Anonymous
well...i have something to say about that...

he was sick first of all...this gu from brasil interview him and he ask how would he be able to play like that and he said we have to try....he is the best player of the world....3 more gols he will pass PELE...and i'm Brasilian, and im verry happy that he tried what he could....so for all of u who doesnt know what ur talking about, search what happen first than do your work...:D thank you....
Posted: 10:45 PM   by Anonymous
Calm down guys... Ronaldo will be Ronaldo when it counts... Brazil hasn't shown us much in the first game, and they shouldn't. They have a real big goal and are set to accomplish it. Too bad for any team that will not pay attention to him... They'll pay dearly. 8-)
Posted: 10:54 PM   by dr. phil
brazil was very lucky today. Croatia should hae won at leats 3 to 0. Croatia had more possession,they hustled, and played like a first place team. this was the most interesting game so far in the World Cup. It really irritates me that most teams see playing croatia as an advantage. They do not understand that they beat and kept up with all of the best teams in the world. Thank you for taking the time to read the truth.
Posted: 10:55 PM   by dr. phil
brazil was very lucky today. Croatia should hae won at leats 3 to 0. Croatia had more possession,they hustled, and played like a first place team. this was the most interesting game so far in the World Cup. It really irritates me that most teams see playing croatia as an advantage. They do not understand that they beat and kept up with all of the best teams in the world. Thank you for taking the time to read the truth.
Posted: 10:58 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is stillrecovering from a injury in october 2005. The idea is to get him back into the game. A bad one in my opinion. Let him sit out this cup and retire 2007.
Posted: 10:59 PM   by Anonymous
i dunno about all u fanatic freaks but i still think ronaldo as one of the best players its not ike u can do better look wat he has done in the past and wat he will do this world cup it was one game and he isnt fat for a soccer player he just needs to get fit
Posted: 11:04 PM   by Giacomo
I am Brazilian and I believe you are very very very wrong about it. Just check his latest number on the Spanish League and Brazilian national games to realize how much you dont know what you are talking about.

Cheers
Posted: 11:05 PM   by Anonymous
one of the best player in the world, Rolandinho didnt even play well today. In fact their whole team seemed to be jogging to the other goal. You cant say Ronaldo alone sucked cuz the whole team wasnt doing well. Soccer depends on freaken teamwork. Ronaldo owns all
Posted: 11:07 PM   by Anonymous
sometimes, you give a dog a bad name so you can hang it. this time, Ronaldo gave himself the bad name (I mean, the excess weight) and hanged himself, or better still, gave enough rope toothers to hang him.
On another note, it will be a hasty decision to drop him. one game doesn't spell everything. the same thing happened to Zidane in '98, and even Maradonna in '90. They both started slowly, for other reasons other than weight, though for Zidane. But Maradonna had weight problems in '90. Romario was also said to be overweight and sluggish in '94. Ronaldo himself was ruled out by most people in '02. All these guys ended up leading their teams to the trophy, apart from Maradonna who was in the final but didn't win it.
Ronaldo will bounce back!!
Posted: 11:12 PM   by Anonymous
Brazil played most of the match with 9. And it still was plenty. That is a scary thought. I say bench both Ronaldo and Adriano. 'The emperor' did nothing either. Bring Juninho Pernambucano do the midfield alongside Ronaldinho and move Kaka forward alongside Robinho. Having that option in the bench is not bad either. Australia and Japan are both winable games with only 9 on the field so why bother?
Posted: 11:14 PM   by Anonymous
Absolutamente, he's finished as a starter....BRAZIL has many replacements...vamos pra frente
Posted: 11:27 PM   by Anonymous
Well the great majority of you have no idea what you are talking about. If you look back at all the games Brazil has ever played you will see a constant in all of them. The first round nobody puts interest or provides a 100%. Its not worth it to the team to go all out and maybe injure a player. Get wth the program, have you ever seen how Brazil plays? Even in the qualifiying rounds they play very lax just so they wont hurt their players.
You will see that Ronaldo will come alive later on....

For that person that doubts the great Roberto Carlos.... you have no idea of Futbol and what his left leg can do.

Doesnt anybody remember the likes of Branco, Socrates, Zico, etc.... they shine when they have to...
Posted: 11:28 PM   by Anonymous
I don't care what anyone thinks. Whenever he ends up scoring the most points ever (surpassing Pele), everyone that underestimated him will simply be a laughing stock. Who else has accomplished what Ronaldo has? Pele hasn't. Maradona hasn't. And I'm pretty sure none of you critics have either!
Posted: 11:30 PM   by Anonymous
For all you who think Croatia or a losing team should have won. Remember just one simple rule.

Whom ever doesnt score watches the other team score....

Plain and simple, if Croatia was better they would have won.....
Posted: 11:30 PM   by Anonymous
Ronaldon't put him in anymore!
Posted: 11:31 PM   by Anonymous
Why can't Ronaldo just admit he's overweight? Everyone harps on about it because he keeps saying he's ideal now that he's no longer a 'boy' of 22 years old. First step is admitting a problem, Ronnie.
Posted: 11:33 PM   by dr. phil
brazil was very lucky today. Croatia should hae won at leats 3 to 0. Croatia had more possession,they hustled, and played like a first place team. this was the most interesting game so far in the World Cup. It really irritates me that most teams see playing croatia as an advantage. They do not understand that they beat and kept up with all of the best teams in the world. Thank you for taking the time to read the truth.
Posted: 11:34 PM   by QUELLI
Oh c'mon!! It was just the first game. Take it easy! I know Ronaldo is overweight, slow... but let's give him a chance because of everything he had done during his career. At least let's wait for the second game. After that if he keeps doing nothing in the field I'll be the first one to say: BENCH RONALDO!!!
No stress!!! We have talented players to replace him (Robinho for instance).
GO BRAZIL, GO BRAZIL, GO BRAZIL...
Posted: 11:35 PM   by Anonymous
just let ronaldo score as many goals as possible in the group play, because nobody in that group will beat Brazil, then put robinho in when the second round starts if ronaldo is still fat and slow and let that team play 'joga bonita'
Posted: 11:37 PM   by Anonymous
first, what's with all the ridiculous US bashing? no one is claiming the US is a good team. it's fair to admit the world kicks our butts in soccer, but dont be surprised to see the US on the rise in the next 20 years. let the eurotrash and those below the border take cheap shots at american soccer, that's all they have on us. About Ronaldo, he WAS good, no longer.

al
Posted: 3:03 AM   by Anonymous
Not sure why everyone like Ronaldo. His only specialty is first touch. I never like him because he is a lazy player. I hardly ever seen him gone back to midfield and take the ball down. His 7 goals during the last WC were more or less LUCK! Brazil has a better chance winning the Cup in 1998 if they inserted Romario in the lineup instead of Ronaldo.
Posted: 3:08 AM   by Anonymous
Brazil don't look as strong as they should. if they are not careful they will get a big wake up call when it comes to the round of 16 of quater finals. As for Australia and Japan, should win easily, but soccer is a funny sport. Who would have thought Greece would win the euro cup before it started? Just don't under-estimate anyone brazil, or you could be in for a shock.
Posted: 3:17 AM   by Anonymous
I am not going to defend Ronaldo, because, He was reallllly slow.. But against Australia (strong will make the difference (i think) not speed... because australia plays on the strengh...

but maybe, the coach should get a player with more speed, because for the spectators is better to watch it..
Posted: 3:50 AM   by Anonymous
You guys are crazy. Brazil is the best team in the world, they have the best talent in all of the world. Yes, they did not have their best game today, but they were playing a very good defensive team and got the win like great teams do. They will be fine, Ronaldo will be fine, and they will go on to win the world cup again.
Posted: 6:38 AM   by Anonymous
Chill relax maaan !! Ronaldo and Adriano may havebeen quiet but maybe they were saving themselves for the next matches. Trust me, do not write them off !! I believe they will come good in this tournament, you'll see !
Posted: 6:42 AM   by Anonymous
Fair enough . However, SI can not compare a team like Croatia with a team like US. To win US is much easier than to win Croatia.
Posted: 7:03 AM   by Anonymous
Pound for pound, he's still a dangerous player. Luckily for him (and BRA) there are a few "easy" games coming up. He may even get on the scoresheet vs JPN and then all bets are off. I wish Croatia took the initiative a bit more in the second half - BRA was there for the taking. But with players like Bosko Balaban on the bench probably tell the whole story. If someone a bit more clinical gets BRA they might be in trouble. Still a great team and a joy to watch.
Posted: 7:06 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is the great player and he has to work harder to get a good enough speed and danger.
RONALDO IS STILL THE BEST.
Posted: 7:42 AM   by Bert
You don't know what you're talking about. The fact that his size shocked you indicates you haven't been watching him kill GKs this season for Real. And don't look for him to be benched. This is a seven-game tournament (Ronaldo knows this better than almost anyone) and he is not a young man. He'll get his 3, and then some. You will also see flashes of his still great brilliance; just don't expect too much in the group stage.
Posted: 7:42 AM   by Anonymous
Just give him some time to adapt after being sidelined for sometime with Real Madrid. People comments too much on his weight. That might be true from a brazilian point of view, but not from a european point of view where football in general relies heavily on body and strength. He is the phenomenon and he will prove it. By the end, we need to find out what is the strategy of Carlos Alberto Pereira for his team and for the defending of the title.
Posted: 7:47 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is a star of the 90's. He hasnt done match in the 00's. Forget him. Bench the fat pig.
Adriano has been off all season. remember Inter Milan anyone.
Robinho is still coming up. Needs more weight though. Cafu is old and no moe enthusiasm.
Kaka is a wanna be star.
Think about this and a quarter final exit. It wont be a second round exit because they will play a runner-up from another group. Same with England and Argentina.
Posted: 8:16 AM   by Anonymous
I believe Ronaldo could still finish in style, because there is no striker in this era who dominated game like him....it's so funny lost year everyone was talking about Ronaldo and this time of the year, when he is not good as he was....everyone starts to critize...Everyone could say bench him.....or whateva...for one second....think what he did for brazil last couple years.....he scored about 66 or more goals in 100 games.....Robhino couldn't play in la liga...he was overrated and neither Adrinao was very good with the club he was benched...Ronaldo was the leading score for his team real madrid...althougth he played few games.....Robhino..or Adriano are players like Baros from czech..Ronaldo needs to lose some weight....but replace Robinho for Ronaldo it's absurd...Robinho couldn't anything for real madrid ...what he did with Santos...RONALDO had one bad game...everyone starts to pick on him..Adriano, Ronaldhino all had quiet game....

Brazil as team didnt play well...midfield didn't not feed the ball to forward.
Posted: 8:41 AM   by Anonymous
Grant, pull your head out! Bench Ronaldo? You got to be kidding! I'm an American living in Europe and I follow fussball daily. Your just another typical American who doesn't know what's he's talking about when it comes to the game of soccer. Do me and other American fans, keep you mouth shut until you know what your talking about!

Steve Sanchez
Germany

P.S. Bench Team USA starters! Let the scrubs get some experience, they can't do any worse then what we have seen from the starters!
Posted: 8:45 AM   by Anonymous
I disagree 100%. Ronaldo, besides Ronaldinho, is the player on that team of stars that people are afraid of. It was the first game of the Cup for Brazil and because he didn't score or run around like a midfielder you want to bench him? First off, strikers are the laziest people on the pitch walking around constantly instead of running. Its not just Ronaldo, are you calling for anyone else's benching? Secondly, with the ball at his feet from about 25 yards and in he scares other teams more than anyone except for Ronaldinho and will score his share of goals this year. That cannot be more evident, did you not see the shot he took that just missed? Robinho is a great player but will be better served coming off the bench for Ronaldo in about the 70th minute. Ronaldo does not look any bigger than last world cup when he won the Golden Boat, but he's still Ronaldo he's still "The Phenomenom" and to other teams he's still scary. Therefore I could not disagree more.
Posted: 8:46 AM   by Anonymous
As a Brazilian I can say it's a common problem in our national teams. We find a hero, he plays throughout his golden years, goes through decadent years and we refuse to remove them from the team until we learn a lesson the hard way. Point and case: Romario back in the 90s. The whole Brazilian team (except for Dida) was a big disappointment. Can we still win? Well.... the game looked like a deja vu of the 1994 World Cup so the possibility is there. But Brazil will need to up the game, suck it up to the fact that Ronaldo has played his best years ago and it's time to get him out. Bench him!
Posted: 8:51 AM   by Anonymous
make no mistake about it, croatia is a legit contender that contained Ronaldo and made him look ineffective. look for them to reach the round of eight at least and look for ronaldo to remain in the starting lineup and score multiple goals in the cup. nice conversation starter, though.
Posted: 8:53 AM   by Anonymous
No one player should be more important than the team. That includes Ronaldo. If he's not helping, Brazil is too deep in talent to keep him on the field. If the trainer and country want him to break the goal-scoring-record, keep him in. Brazil is good enough to win it with a Ronaldo at 85%. James in Berlin
Posted: 9:15 AM   by Anonymous
Even Pele had matches in which he didn't do a single thing... Even he got negative comments back in his days...

Furthermore..
Brazil is sure he is making it through the first round..
The players are taking it easy to avoid injuries..
Ronaldo has a history of injuries.. he deffinetly doesn't want another one.
Croatia IS a good team..
There were 2-3 deffenders up Ronaldo's behind all match long

All you people criticizing him.. remember what u said... in the near future when he makes a brillian performance.. and then come back here to appologise.
Posted: 9:32 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is one of the three (3) most phenomenal players the world has ever seen. Even though past his prime, he is still one of the most feared strikers in the world. Many of you love Thierry Henry but he never turns up for big games - NEVER!

When any player in the world eclipses these stats below, then your criticisms of Ronaldo will be given merit:

1990/1993 Season : Sao Cristovao (Brazil) - 36 goals in 54 games.
1993/1994 Season : Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte (Brazil) - 58 goals in 60 games.
1994/1995 Season : PSV Eindhoven (Holland) - 55 goals in 56 games.
1995/1996 Season : PSV Eindhoven (Holland) - goals in games.
1996/1997 Season : Barcelona (Spain) - 47 goals in 49 games.
1997/1998 Season : Inter Milan (Italy) - 25 goals in 30 games.
1998/1999 Season : Inter Milan (Italy) - 15 goals in 19 games.
1999/2000 Season : Inter Milan (Italy) - 3 goals in 7 games.
2000/2001 Season : Inter Milan (Italy) - Knee injury.
2001/2002 Season : Inter Milan (Italy) - 7 goals in 10 games.
2002/2003 Season : Real Madrid (Spain) - 23 goals in 30 games.
2003/2004 Season : Real Madrid (Spain) - 24 goals in 34 games.
2004/2005 Season : Real Madrid (Spain) - 21 goals in 27 games.
2005/2006 Season : Real Madrid (Spain) - 14 goals in 25 games.


With Cruzeiro : Brazilian Cup (1993), Super Copa Top scorer (1994), Mineiro Championship Top scorer (1994), Mineiro Championship (1994).
With PSV Eindhoven : Dutch Championship Top Scorer (1995), Dutch Cup Top scorer (1996), Dutch Cup (1996).
With Barcelona : Spanish Super Cup (1996), FIFA Player of the Year (1996), Spanish League Top scorer (1997), UEFA Cup Winner's Cup (1997), Latin American Player of the Year in Spanish League (1997), European Player of the Year (1997).
With Inter Milan : FIFA Player of the Year (1997), UEFA Cup (1998), European Player of the Year (1998), European Forward of the Year (1998), Italian League Player of the Year (1998), Italian League Foreign Player of the Year (1998), UEFA Cup (1998).
With Brazil : Conmebol U-17 Championship (1991), South American Championship U-19 (1993), FIFA World Cup (1994), UMBRO Cup (1995), Runner-up with Brazil in the Copa America (1995), Bronze medallist with Brazil at the Olympic Tournament (1996), Copa America (1997), FIFA/Confederation's Cup (1997), FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (1998), World Cup France (1998), Best Striker & footballer of World Cup France (1998), Copa America (1999), Champion of Intercontinental Cup (2002), Best European Footballer (2002), Word Cup 2002 (2002), Best Striker & footballer of World Cup 2002 (2002), FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (2002).
Posted: 9:34 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo was an absolute non-factor in the game, it seems that Brazil had only 10 players. That been said, Brazil does not need a name in the field " Ronaldo",If there is any problem please do not play him.
Posted: 9:55 AM   by Anonymous
Yep. I agree. Bench the guy. Until he shows he can get fit and fast again, I'd say let the rest of the team run the show.
Posted: 10:06 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is still the man. For those who think he's done that's a big mistake. Ronaldo still strikes fears on the opposing team. he can still beat you with the dribble but it's hard when you have two or three defenders. Its all the media hype. How many of you guys actually play soccer?
Posted: 10:07 AM   by Anonymous
Let's be clear on this. Ronaldo has always been a lazy player. He was lazy when I first saw him play for PSV when he was 18 and he's lazy now. He has always been a minimalist on the field. The difference, besides his Maradona-esque appetite, is that he looks absolutely uninterested. He looks completely burnt out. I don't think he even cares about the all-time scoring record. He should feign an injury and be replaced by a young hungry player and give that kid a chance to earn a transfer to Europe. He isn't doing anybody any favours by imposing himself on an ambitious team.
Posted: 10:19 AM   by slowman
ronaldo can still do it
Posted: 10:23 AM   by pedro
First off, easy on the US bashing. I am a Brazillian living in the United States, and although the soccer interest level is not particularly high, the points mad above are still, for the most part, valid. Second off, Ronaldo did look extremely sluggish yesterday. His demeanor was fatigued, resigned, and indifferent. However, he does still remain a threat due to his unbelievable finishing skills. Heres what Parreia should do: use a similar platoon in the next two games with Ronaldo and Robinho, where Robinho subs in around the 60th minute. Because Brazil plays ther weaker Japan and Austrailia, lack of production from Ronaldo (or Adriano for that matter) will not kill them. If, during the group stage, Ronaldo does not pick up the pace of play or production, the electric Robinho should recieve the majority of the playing time in the elimination stage. We should also not forget that Brazil's opponet, Croatia, is a very capable team with an extremely tight defense. Throughout the game it seemed as though Brazil had 5 attackers and Croatia had 20 defenders. Even if Ronaldo was moving, there was no space to work with. Finally, due to teams loading up against Brazil's big guns (Roanldo, Adriano, Ronaldinho), expect a lesser known player to thrive, such as: Kaka, Juninho, or Gilberto Silva.
Posted: 10:28 AM   by Anonymous
Give the Croatia team some credit here, they did a great job in defense. I feel Brasil play the game like they are in some kind of warm up...with half effort. As a fan it isn't one of the better game that you would like to see but they still won. At the end I think they are playing it smart...don't expend any more effort than you need to.
Posted: 10:28 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo looked lazy. Period. Being a great player does not allow him the luxury of taking a WC match lightly or without full committment.
He may well score in the remaining matches, but his performance here is rightly criticized.
The difference wud have been felt only if Croatia had eeked in a goal somehow.
Posted: 10:31 AM   by skittles
i agree that he looked terrible but brazil should give him one more chance i bet that if he had made that shot everybody would be saying how good he was thats how its with forwards have a bad game but score a goal and everybody thinks u played a great game especially in the us
Posted: 10:33 AM   by Anonymous
Argentina was also smiling on the last minute of Copa America and on the begining of the Confederations cup. Brazil took care of that smile in both occasions. :-)

Ronaldo was a boulder in the game. I'm sure he'll start against Australia too. Let's see what he does there. Parreira will only bench him if he keeps up playing like a barrel of molasses on the next game or two, not a minute earlier.
Posted: 10:34 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo is still a very good player and I am pretty confident that his presence will be felt in the next games. He is only one of the best players that the Brazilian team has so let's not be quick to put him aside. Yesterday Kaka was the ultimate man for Brazil, in the next game who knows who that will be.
Ronaldo is still a very good and dangerous player.
Posted: 10:36 AM   by Anonymous
It was not only Ronaldo that looked terrible it was the entire Brazilian squad. They all need to step it up if they want to win this World Cup. But I wouldn't worry too much, the Brazilian Magic will show up soon.
Posted: 10:37 AM   by Anonymous
It is too soon to start sounding alarm bells. Let see how he plays against Australia and then decide.
Posted: 10:37 AM   by Anonymous
I'm not quite ready to pen his obit yet. Admittedly he looked sluggish and his touches seemed off - but I think you could say that about the majority of the Brazilian team during yesterday's game. I think Ronaldo still has a few flashes in him - no one else from Brazil has his finishing ability. Let's give him a few more chances.
Posted: 10:37 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo only need a ten seconds with the ball to make a gool
Posted: 10:41 AM   by Anonymous
First, anyone who argues that Ronaldo played better than awful, didn't watch the game. It was the worst match played by a world class player that I have ever seen (leaving the entire USA team out of the discussion as it remains to be seen whether we have any world class players). He looked fat, lethargic, lazy, and his touch was off. That said, this is only one game and Ronaldo, for all of his past brilliance, has not been consistent in a long time. It is quite possible that he will come out and score three goals in Brazil's next match only to disappear again in the following match. You just don't know which Ronaldo will show up for any particular match. It is worth having him on the field, however, because when he's on and interested, he has proven time and again that he can change a match at any time.
Posted: 10:46 AM   by Anonymous
In Real Madrid he played half of the season and scored 14 goals!
The whole brazilian team was performing suboptimal. Even the current best player in the world (Ronaldinho) was not at his best form. It is only the 1st game, just wait and see what "R9" can do!
Posted: 10:53 AM   by Anonymous
Oh ye of little faith. This is game 1 of 7 for Brazil. For those of you who think that this is as good as it gets, think twice. Croatia did an excellent job of double teaming Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, but the fact is you can't contain them forever. They will explode in this Cup, when it matters. How can you say someone looks spoiled and lazy for having just come off injury? There is no point in pushing it when you are in the lead and only in round 1. He will come through when he needs to. Keep watching and be amazed.
Posted: 10:56 AM   by Anonymous
You Americans still have alot to learn about football...you would say soccer.
Posted: 11:01 AM   by Anonymous
Much like France can't play Henry and Trezegol together, because they are too similar in what they do, Adriano and Ronaldo never really look convincing together up front. Ronaldo is fat. The world knows it. But he is a great player, and has a history of comebacks, so there is no doubt that he's going to get better and will break Muller's record before this world cup is over.
Posted: 11:04 AM   by Anonymous
Give him time, he could score those three against Japan. They are pooey. If he's not effective in the next two games, bench him.
Posted: 11:07 AM   by Rodinho
Ok, this is totally not fair for you Americans or Canadians to Critque one of the worlds most talented players today. True,Ronaldo has lost a step, but he is still far better than any mediocre player on the U.S. team. American do not no enough about soccer to even begin to talk about how bad Ronaldo is. What you all should be worried about is how sorry the U.S. is at the international level in just about all sports, once USA is eliminated most of you wont care about the Cup and just go on to Baseball. Ronaldo will have his time to shine.
Posted: 11:07 AM   by Anonymous
I do agree with the statement the ronaldo was a non factor but you cant pull the plug on great player because of one bad game
Posted: 11:08 AM   by Anonymous
It doesn't appear to me that the tone of the article was bashing Brasil or trumpeting the US. He was simply stating that Ronaldo appeared to be out of shape and that in his opinion Brasil would be better off not starting him. Seems like a valid opinion to me --for the biggest sporting event in the world, is it too much to ask that every player be in shape?

As for the USA....frankly, we don't care that much about this version of football. Nearly all of our best athletes play other sports. We have our own version of football...and while most of the rest of the world admittedly outclasses us in what we call soccer, we could probably pick a team of high-school boys to pound the rest of the world in American football -- so just imagine what our professionals would do.
Posted: 11:10 AM   by Anonymous
Don't think he should bench ronaldo yet...at least until after Australia play Brazil
Posted: 11:12 AM   by Anonymous
The solution is not to bench him. he needs to get to match fitness he missed the end of la liga and had blister problem. that being said, I would advocate pulling out earlier, like at the eginning of the second half, to give robhino a chance to shine. he will come through for brasil because he is resiliant
Posted: 11:20 AM   by Anonymous
Ronaldo still gots it just wait!
Posted: 11:23 AM   by Anonymous
Yeah - you can't compare Czech Rep. and Brazil - Croatia played a very good game and U.S. did not. Croatia would kick U.S.'s butt the way U.S. is looking.

All in all it was a decent game and both sides had plenty of chances.

We'll see about Ronaldo - but, to me, he doesn't look THAT fat. And he has moves - so I say keep him in and he'll score some key goals!

P.S. - Most of these ppl who posted above seem to not know much about soccer. Stick to American Football, Baseball and Bowling, and leave the Soccer analysis to the rest of the world.
Posted: 11:30 AM   by Christiano
Ronaldo will improve.
He only needs to play more.
We cannot let him out of the game !!!
Christiano, Canada
Posted: 11:35 AM   by Anonymous
i am so convinced that Ronaldo will perform better in the next match.
Posted: 11:55 AM   by Anonymous
We Brazilians know of what he's capable of. If he needs to go to the bench, it will certainly happen just like we saw yesterday. However, regardless of how much he weighs or whatever, he is still one of the best players ever. Please do not compare him with Maradona and spare our country and our players from these kinds of insults. I agree... he will shine ...just wait and you'll see. In the meantime, please do not disrespect Ronaldo with sarcastic comments! Thank you!
Posted: 11:58 AM   by Anonymous
In Ronaldo's defense, the TV added extra 30 pounds on him. :)
Posted: 12:01 PM   by Anonymous
it wouldnt matter if Fatboy was benched or not. the Socceroos are still going to win!
Posted: 12:35 PM   by Anonymous
Dear Ronaldo,

I am skinny, could you tell where I can put so weight. Your expert opnion is very much appreciated.
Posted: 12:38 PM   by Anonymous
Well after 1st game of Brazil. They looked not as quick as I've seen them in the past but again this is just the begining of the sleeping giant. On putting ronaldo in starting line up, He is a great player and we all know that and it's true that he wasn't much of a factor during the first game and I hope as this goes on he should put a better show compare to the first game but got to give him another chance to see how he performs before you take him out of the lineup.
No offence, but those who compare brazil with U.S soccer team, they really don;t know what they are talking about and there might be a first round exit to U.S soccer
My best wishes are with brazil
Ordem E Progresso!
Posted: 12:40 PM   by Anonymous
Didn't Australia beat Brasil 1-0 last time they played!?
Posted: 12:44 PM   by Anonymous
he is still great player, give the croatia defence some credit. there was two or three defenders on him every time he wanted to move. he should play at least the first half. by the end of the world cup, you will see a new record by him
Posted: 12:45 PM   by Oliver
Ronaldo might have been slow and not impressive in the game against Croacia, but.. he'll be on the field the next match and he will have his moments. You should never bench Ronaldo, because even if he's not dangerous, he still is... Start your judging when Brasil has won the world cup again
Posted: 12:59 PM   by Anonymous
I agree, Robinho is the better player right now, but I think Ronaldo's problem was just an attitude. Coach will fix that. Let him play for these next two first round games and then bench him. He is after all practically a god in Brazil.
Posted: 1:00 PM   by Anonymous
I agree, ronaldo isn't the same but he deserves the everyone's respect. Put him in the first half, if you get the same result pull him out of the game. I don't think he should be pulled from the starting 11. He can have a spark and do great things for Brazil.
Posted: 1:01 PM   by Jake
With Ronaldo on the field, Brazil's formation was more like a 4-4-2.5
Posted: 1:05 PM   by Anonymous
Being that I am a Canadian soccer player (doesn't say much I know) It's funny how people are saying that Ronaldo isn't that good. Remember one thing, you have heard about him if you are talking about him. He may not be in his prime but he still has the capability of any other striker that walks on the field. I am cheering for Spain because that is my backround, but I still think that Brazil will do fine with Ronaldo in or out. Robinho is good as well and he does add a new tone, but he is young and really doesn't have the experience at this level. I hope to see Ronaldo playing the whole way through, with a few subs for the young Robinho! I didn't see Ronaldinho doing anything spectacular and nobody has said anything bad about his performance. The guys on this team are able to get the job done, otherwise they wouldn't be there.
Posted: 1:10 PM   by Anonymous
The big man wasn't interested in playing today. Only he knows the answer to that one. After watching him play every week for the last two years, he is still a top striker, but time is catching up with him, and there a fair few better forwards on show in Germany (Torres for example)

I'd drop hin for the next two games to see what the others can do. Its certain Brazil will make the last 16 and when it comes down to sudden death games you want to make sure you have 11 players trying.

..but by then USA will be home after losing all three games and it will be next to impossible to find any football coverage. The good news is, with 3 defeats the Fifa rankings will probably put them up to 2 or 3 in the world. Ranked 5 in the world, but start the tournament at odds of 100/1 with the bookies ..how does that work?
Posted: 1:10 PM   by Anonymous
Can he gain US citizenship by Saturday?
Posted: 1:11 PM   by Anonymous
I see you guys don't get soccer, Ronaldo is there just to make 3 defenders busy marking him. And the result was that out of the magic quarters Adriano and Kaka could play little bit more freely then Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. In every game we can expect that at least 6 defenders will be busy marking Ronaldo and Ronaldinho else, Croatia would of concede more then 5 goals yesterday.
Posted: 1:17 PM   by Anonymous
I think Ronaldo heard enough critics already, but i dont think he cares, he is a forward and he should only run when the ball is in front of him, if he is suppose to defend also then why are there defenders on the pitch, and overweight doesnt mean anything. Look back maradona he didnt look skinny either so whats the big deal with the fat if he is still capable of running 100m in 10s.
Posted: 1:17 PM   by Anonymous
That would be EXOMORPHIC, not endomorphic, which is the classsification of a skinny body type. Speaking as a true exomporph, I know this to be true...
Posted: 1:22 PM   by Anonymous
Ok, I remember watching the last two world cups and Ronaldo was lightening. I think Brasil's strategy back then was "just pass it to Ronaldo and he'll take care of it". Now the guy just stood on the field yesterday picking his nose!

I think the referee was in more action then he was. Hmmm, was it just me or were Ronaldinho, Adriando, Cafu, Kaka, all those players picking up his slack? They were avoiding passing the futbol to him. And since when did they take Ronaldo off the field? Only in this world cup. Worse that the commentary guy says: "And Ronaldo is now off the field due to lack of fitness!"

Something's up with this guy...is he done with? Will he ever be the same? I'm so disappointed, but anyone notice, he is a lot more "muscular" lately!

Ah well, they at least won yesterday. But I expect them to pick up the slack and get to it! There are a lot more games to be won! Vamos Brasil!!!
Posted: 1:48 PM   by Anonymous
Maybe this is because I'm not in fact from Brazil or Brazilian for that matter but to all you making posts that are claiming to be Brazilian, whether it be true or not, just because you are Brazilian does not automatically make you an expert in soccer. I agree with most of the posts they are making in regards to Ronaldo still being great. I truly believe he is, the man sets records and scares the boots off a player when he's running towards the defenders on a pitch. His shot is lightning and his boot is thunder which keeps him around as "The Phenomenom". I hope he does well alongside the entire team from Brazil. They are very capable of beating any team in this tournament, but in the same breath, can be beaten just as quickly. They might be the reigning champions but there are many teams contending. Look at the Croation team, those guys played a very good match of soccer against Brazil. Though it looked like a half effort from the Brazilian team, the Croations still did great. I hope to see teams like Croatia advance into the top 16. Another team to look out for is the Ivory Coast. They had a good chance of beating Argentina and hopefully they go far. Haha, just for some bashing though, thank god the Czechs beat the crap out of USA. There are only a few teams I enjoy seeing fail and USA tops my charts being that they are always near the top or at the top of every sport.
Posted: 1:50 PM   by Anonymous
I agree with you, but it is needed to tell everything about the presence of Ronaldo in the game. You must agree with me that he always has people around him so then impacting the game of Croatia, because they respect him. As soon as Robinho enter, the game of Croatia improved a world.
Posted: 1:50 PM   by Thomas
Nonsense. The team was uninspired, and when the midfield can't produce the forwards rarely shine. Or can you honestly say that Adriano was any better? He touched the ball more because he ran back all the way to midfield to get it, making him largely innefective. Meanwhile, Robinho, for all his running around, didn't do much either. Besides, he's not the same kind of player as Ronaldo so it's a poor comparison. Too many a time people have said Ronaldo was done on account of one game and were proven wrong. I think it's about to happen again...