Mano Menezes, head coach of the Corinthians soccer team, declared Friday that Ronaldo will not suit up for Sunday's game against Santo Andre. The coach claimed that he wants to "preserve" the star player and not throw away all the hard work that both the player and the club have put into his return to soccer.
"He will not play. He will not even be placed on the reserve players list," said Menezes. "The purpose of my decision is so that we can fully complete his physical therapy and workout schedule. I want to take advantage of all the excitement and have Ronaldo focus his attention on the last piece of the puzzle," he said.
As a consequence of Menezes' decision, at least one sponsor has decided to back out of paying the team for their logo to be stamped on the jersey.
Brazilian striker Ronaldo (R) of Corinthians celebrates after scoring a goal with team mate Dentinho during their Paulista Championship soccer match against Palmeiras in Presidente Prudente March 8, 2009
Dafra Motos had previously declared that they would be the team's temporary sponsor. They were all set to sign a contract worth an estimated 200,000U.S. dollars, but the company changed their mind and will wait until the "phenomenon" is back on the field since Ronaldo is not playing.
In Friday's team practice, Ronaldo was singled out by the head coach to get an extra workout.
Ronaldo is still three to four kilos over weight. For this reason, Menezes hopes that the additional workouts will help him to shed the extra weight.
The striker is expected to return to the field on March 22 when Corinthians host Santos.