Ronaldo: The world at his feet

The world

at his f eet

Interview: Keir Radnedge

What went wrong at Barcelona?

For seven months I was trying to renew the contract they had offered me. Let ’s be honest: they came to me with it, it wasn’t the other way round. I hadn’t demanded anything of them. Of course I was happy with the idea but it came from the club in the first place. But what happened then was that they kept postponing meetings we had arranged. Eventually it got to the stage when it wasn’t so easy for me. I had commitments to go and play for Brazil at the Copa America. It was very frustrating and upsetting – and they had started the process. When I was away at the Copa my agents remained in Barcelona, trying to sort things out, and they had a meeting with the club. I understand that everything went well and when they broke for lunch everyone was very happy with what was agreed. But over lunch I understand that Bruguera, one of the club’s lawyers, said to Josep Lluis Nunez, the president: “Don’t you think you are rushing this – it ’s a huge amount of money to be paying one person every year for a guaranteed ten years?” So everything went back on hold. Yet this was after a season in which I had won the FIFA World Player award, I had been top scorer in the league and won the Golden Shoe, and we had won the European Cup Winners’ Cup and also qualified to play in the Champions League. They were all still arguing! So then I got worried. If this was what happened after a really successful season, what might happen after an ordinary or even a bad season? I had always told the club I wanted to stay. But I think they thought they could take advantage: that I would put my personal feelings in front of my professional interests. Barcelona are a great club with fantastic fans and terrific players. It’s just a pity the club is so badly managed.

You knew Louis van Gaal in the Netherlands – he was coach at Ajax while you were playing for PSV. Has he been good or bad for Barcelona?

Van Gaal is an excellent coach. I would have been happy to play for him at Barcelona in the Champions League – and I’m sad that Barcelona and my old team-mates have had such disappointing results. I’m sure that, given time, Van Gaal will succeed and get the team performing the way that he wants. Whether they would have done any better with me in the team is not for me to say – or to worry about. The fact of the matter is that I am now with Inter and we are still in the UEFA Cup.

You are just one of the many Brazilian players who have come to Europe in the past few years. Is that good for the players and, at the same time, is it good or bad for the national team?

It’s good from both sides. The players benefit and the national team also benefits. There is nothing Brazilian players can gain technically when they come to Europe. Absolutely nothing. From that point of view there’s nothing to talk about. But Brazilian players do gain added value when they transfer to Europe because, whereas every Brazilian player knows how to go forward, it’s only in Europe that they learn how to defend properly so that they develop into all-round footballers. They learn how to defend, how to work, how to suffer for a result. It’s an important learning process.

How will Brazil in 1998 differ from the World Cup-winning side of Brazil in 1994?

In the United States in 1994 the team played in a certain rigid way and, of course, did very well! The new team, under Mario Zagallo, p plays in a similar way but with a little more emphasis on attack. I’m sure that, given the right preparation n, we can do equally well in France – and score a few more goals! As for who will score them – well, I hope, of course, that it’s me. People keep asking who I prefer to have playing alongside me as if I could choose between wonderful players such as Rivaldo, Romario, Dodo or Edmundo. Fortunately that’s not my job. I have enough to do trying to make sure I keep my place in the team. We have so many good players that none of us can ever be sure.

And you have already spent one entire World Cup sitting on the bench...

Yes, in 1994 I was a member of the squad but I wasn’t chosen to play for even one minute. But I learned a lot. I learned, for example, all about the importance of good team-work and a good spirit. At the World Cup in the United States there was a great deal of unity among the players and, yes, friendship. The players all liked each other, personally. We were all very in tune with each other and we were all focused on winning the World Cup – and that meant the reserves as well as the players in the team.

Romario seems to have lost that spirit and focus in the meantime. Doesn’t it worry you that what has happened to him might happen to you one day?

Romario is a team-mate of mine in the national team and, if you look back, you can see he has given a lot to football. I’d rather look at all the good things he has been involved in than the bad. There have been too many players, I’m sorry to say, who have lost their way somewhere down their career path. But it’s not mandatory – look at two great players such as Pele and Zico. They had wonderful careers and they never let their professional or personal standards drop. They were – and remain – great ambassadors for the game. That’s what I want for myself.

To follow Pele is easy isn’t it – you just win the World Cup three times?

It’s a big act to follow. France, Italy, Spain and England are all outstanding teams. Italy have never been the luckiest of opponents for us, remembering 1982. Then there’s Germany. They are always there. That says everything about their quality and strength. I watched both their qualifying games against Portugal and was very impressed with how focused the Germans looked. Portugal couldn’t stay with them. Portu ugal remind me of Uruguay: two nations who once played great football at the World Cup but who have stood still while the world has left them behind.

Which team is the biggest danger?

Argentina could surprise a lot of people and the Africans are catching everyone else up physically and technically. But I think France will be the most dangerous opponents. They have home advantage, which counts for a lot, but, even more important than that, they have a lot of really outstanding players. I know – because I see them week in, week out in Italy: Djorkaeff, Thuram, Zidane, Deschamps and so on. But we will not go into the World Cup with any fear of losing. I don’t think we will give anyone else a chance. But if we do lose then we just pack our bags, go home and start to build all over again.

We’ve done it before so we know we can do it again. It might be the end of the World Cup but it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

If you are not the outstanding individual player at the World Cup finals, who do you think might be?

Raul of Real Madrid, Mijatovic of Real Madrid, also, and my team-mate at Inter, Djorkaeff.

None of you will be getting much holiday this summer. How do you cope with the relentless pressure of games with both club and country?

In terms of the physical aspect I need to work hard at my fitness and my game to keep feeling sharp. But, like most players, I’d rather play lots of matches than have to do a lot of training. What with the Olympic Games and Copa America I’ve been playing for two years non-stop, without a holiday. Fortunately I don’t need much motivation to keep wanting to win more cups and competitions. I don’t get tired of success! I suppose one month’s holiday would be nice. That would be enough. But there’s always some other tournament coming along so it’s not possible. It would be ideal to split up the calendar so the clubs have their time and the national teams have theirs. But that’s not possible when the clubs invest so much money in buying and paying and taking care of their players. One thing which would help would be to get all the national associations to play their competitive matches at the same time. Then you wouldn’t have the present situation, which the clubs consider unfair, when they lose different players at different times and not always at the same time as the clubs they are playing against.

Apart from the financial side, was coming to Italy, to play for Inter, the right decision?

Yes, I like playing in Italy. I realise not all foreign players who come here say that. But it was

Anything else you want along the way?

Yes, I want to still be playing when that criminal tackle from behind is banned from the game. I know that it is supposed to have been banned by FIFA but there are still a lot of players who do it and referees who let them get away with it. Look at all the players who have had to stop their careers early because of injuries from this tackle. The referees need “I’m sure that, given the right preparation, we can do equally well at France ’98 – and score a few more goals! As for who will score them – well, I hope, of course, that it’s me”

a challenge I wanted since very early in my career. It ’s much more difficult than Spain. I did not realise how much harder it would be. Off the pitch I’ve had no problems. My team-mates have been very friendly and helpful. But in Spain the tactical options are different. There’s much more space for players, which makes it easier. But I’m happy here. I don’t want to think of moving again for a very long time. I want to make history with Inter just as I had originally hoped to make history with Barcelona.

to be tough. They need to stick to the letter of the law. If that means a lot of free-kicks, then that’s the price of cleaning up the game. What I would really prefer would be two referees per match - one in each half of the pitch so that they could get much closer to the play and be in a much better position to get to grips with foul play.