Ronaldinho vows to fight for World Cup recall

Rio de Janeiro, May 16 (IANS)

Ronaldinho has refused to concede his 2014 World Cup dream and vowed to convince coach Luiz Felipe Scolari he is worthy of a recall to Brazil’s national team.

The 33-year-old was left out of Scolari’s 23-man squad for next month’s Confederations Cup despite his impressive club form for Brazilian outfit Atletico Mineiro, reports Xinhua.

“There is still a long way to go until the World Cup and my intention is to be under consideration,” Ronaldinho said Wednesday.

“I’m motivated more than ever. I wanted to at least be called up (for the Confederations Cup) but this gives me more reason to try to be remembered next time.”

Brazil’s media speculated that the omissions of Ronaldinho and Chelsea midfielder Ramires had been due to disciplinary reasons.

Ronaldinho is said to have arrived late to a team meeting before Brazil’s friendly against Chile last month while Ramires reportedly failed to attend an appointment with Brazil’s medical staff in London in March.

Both players have denied the claims.

“There was no delay whatsoever,” Ronaldinho said. “The agreement was to meet for a team dinner and I arrived on time.”

The two-time FIFA world player of the year winner struggled during his three international appearances this year.

He missed a penalty in Brazil’s 1-2 defeat to England at Wembley Stadium in February and had no impact during the team’s 2-2 draw with Chile last month.

“I didn’t perform to expectations in that game (against Chile),” the former Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan star said.