TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Brazil's Ronaldo to attempt comeback with Strikers
Brazilian star Ronaldo says he will attempt to make a playing comeback this spring with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the second-tier North American Soccer League
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
B
razilian star Ronaldo says he will attempt to make a playing comeback this spring with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the second-tier North American Soccer League.
The world player of the year in 1996, 1997 and 2002, Ronaldo is now 38 and hasn't played since February 2011 with Brazil's Corinthians. He spoke at a news conference Wednesday called to announce he has become a part-owner of the Strikers.
Ronaldo said his return to the game would help the league and football in America.
Asked whether the former World Cup winner would play, Ronaldo responded in English and said "that is not easy."
"I love to play," he said. "That was my big love. But when I retired, it was because of my body. I had so much pain and so many injuries. "It isn't easy to get fit. I will try. I will train a lot."
Since retiring as a player, Ronaldo has become a part-owner of a marketing company called 9ine Sports and Entertainment, which represents Barcelona forward Neymar and mixed martial arts fighter Anderson Silva.
He joins a team that lost to San Antonio in last year's NASL final last season. Fort Lauderdale averaged 3,092 for home games, almost half the league average of 5,989.
NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson, who attended the news conference, said his league will soon challenge Major League Soccer, which averaged 18,704 last year. MLS plans to start a Miami team led by retired star David Beckham, who is trying to find a site in Miami to build a stadium.
"We just finished our fourth season," Preston said. "We have 11 teams. Our goal is to have 20 teams by 2018. Our goal is to line up against any club in the world by 2018."
The Strikers play in 55-year-old Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Ricardo Geromel, one of the team's owners, said a new stadium is planned.
The Strikers, who open their season on April 4 against the New York Cosmos, said they will try to bring in players from Brazil, using the connections of Ronaldo and their other Brazilian owners.
"We want to have all the best players," Ronaldo said. "But we don't have the money yet. We have a budget." (**)
