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Tuesday, Feb 06, 2007
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Ronaldo hopes for national team recall

Sao Paulo: Ronaldo believes his move from Real Madrid to AC Milan will help him return to the Brazil squad.

"I want to regain my space in the national team," Ronaldo told the Globo Esporte Website on Sunday. "To do that I'll need to play well and score goals for Milan, and if I do well and stay as a starter, (Brazil coach) Dunga will call me again."

Dunga, who took over from Carlos Alberto Parreira after the World Cup, has not selected Ronaldo for any of the six friendlies Brazil has played after the tournament in Germany. The 30-year-old striker has also been left out of the team's match against Portugal in London on Tuesday.

"It has never been easy to make it to the national team," Ronaldo said. "And I'll have to work hard to make it this time."

Ronaldo's last match with Brazil was the 1-0 loss to France in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, a competition in which he played poorly most of the time.

The three-time FIFA world player of the year signed an 18-month deal with Milan last week, hoping to re-ignite his career. He was relegated to a part-time role under Madrid coach Fabio Capello, playing sparingly in the last six months.

"I had several offers that were better financially, but I wanted an opportunity to prove myself in a big club again," Ronaldo told Radio Jovem Pan on Sunday. "The deal with Milan was perfect.

"I've been training hard and feeling very well. I can't wait to start playing."

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