Regretful Ronaldo will never ask for time off again

A regretful Ronaldo said on Friday that he would never ask to be rested from Brazil matches again.

Ronaldo missed the Confederations Cup in June at his own request, saying that he needed a holiday.

But he got more than he bargained for when he was also omitted from the preceding World Cup qualifiers against Argentina and Paraguay.

Ronaldo also saw his place in the Brazil team come under threat when his replacement Adriano finished as top scorer at the Confederations Cup in Germany with five goals.

"I don't want to be rested again, I always want to be with the Brazil team," Ronaldo told reporters.

"After the Confederations Cup, I'm not thinking of asking to be left out of any national team game."

"It wasn't worth it because of the punishment and the bad feeling which was left. I'm sure that everyone else who is here also wants to stay in the team for ever."

The question arose after it was suggested that Brazil could rest their top players from their last two World Cup qualifiers if they beat Chile on Sunday and book their place in Germany next year.

A straight win will be enough for Brazil to qualify, meaning they could afford to experiment with younger players in the remaining games away to Bolivia and at home to Venezuela in October.

"I hope I'm always a good example to the younger players, not just of what I do on the field but also for my behaviour off it," added the Phenomenal One.

Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has already announced that Ronaldo will start Sunday's game alongside Adriano.

Ronaldo had a minor scare on Friday when he left a practice session complaining of discomfort in his right thigh but Parreira said it was nothing serious.

"It's nothing to worry about, it's not even pain, just discomfort," said Parreira.