Ronaldinho’s three wishes

“To stay in the national team is the most complicated challenge. Brazil is a country where new talent emerges every year, so it is quite hard.” The large contingent of expatriate players is proof of the depth of talent in Brazilian football. The world champions are the third most represented nation in Europe’s Champions League with 71 players, behind France with 75 and Spain, top with 85.

“That shows Brazil are in an outstanding phase and that our talent is more and more recognised around the world. In any team now, there is always a Brazilian doing well. This is very nice and as one of them it is always great to enjoy all this international success,” said Ronaldinho, 25.

With so much talent around, Brazil’s national coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has a dilemma others would envy: which players to use in what Brazilians call the “fantastic four”? Ronaldinho and Kaka are already regarded as untouchables by Parreira himself but he still has to pick two from Ronaldo, Adriano and Robinho.

“They are all excellent players, well-known everywhere and among the best in the world. It is fantastic to have the trust of the Brazilian coach,” Ronaldinho said, using his Portuguese to call his team mates “grandissimos” players.

He also had a message for Real Madrid’s new 20-year-old prodigy: “Robinho is not at a stage that he needs to prove himself. He is an established, successful player and has been showing that already with Brazil,” he said.

“He would have to go through an adaptation period. We all have to when we come to Europe but he will get over it quickly and show his great ability,” Ronaldinho said of Robinho.