Soccer
Ronaldo set for swansong
2011-03-02 20:05
Rio De Janeiro - Brazil legend Ronaldo is set to bid his final farewell to football in a friendly against Romania in Sao Paulo on June 7, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Wednesday.
Ronaldo announced his definitive retirement from competitive football on February 14, citing fatigue and a hypothyroid problem which played havoc with his weight.
The 34-year-old striker agreed to participate in the match following talks with CBF chief Ricardo Teixeira.
"Ronaldo deserves a farewell match and the supporters deserve seeing him playing for the last time in the Brazil national team jersey and in a Brazilian stadium," said Teixeira.
"I'm sure the celebrations will be up to matching the achievements of Ronaldo during his career."
A two-time World Cup winner with Brazil in 1994 and 2002, Ronaldo said two weeks ago his body could no longer match the demands he was putting on it.
"I'm stopping my career as a professional footballer," he said. "It's been a beautiful, emotional, marvelous career.
"These last two years, I've had a long series of injuries, from one side to the other, one leg to the other, one muscle to the other. The pain pushed me to think about the end of my career."
The CBF compared the farewell match to the ones organised for fellow Brazilian legends Pele and Zico.
On a message posted on his Twitter site, Ronaldo enticed fans by saying: "Do you have something planned for June 7? Come by the Pacaembu (stadium) and we'll party together."