Football Talk - Ronaldo makes Corinthians debut - 05/03/09
Former World Player of the Year Ronaldo made his long-awaited return from injury on Wednesday, but his appearance was overshadowed by a post-match media scrum which left the player nursing a black eye.
The 32-year-old, who has spent 13 months out of the game with a knee injury, came on in the second half of Corinthians' 2-0 win at Itumbiara in a Copa Brasil game.
Ronaldo appeared to have a badly bruised and swollen right eye - believed to have been caused by a reporter shoving a microphone into his face - when he finally escaped the playing area. Ronaldo saw little of the ball after coming on in the 67th minute, but his brief appearance impressed Corinthians coach Mano Menezes: "He had a good debut, moved well and tried a few dribbles."
Ronaldo ruptured a tendon in his left knee in a Serie A game playing for Milan against Livorno and then left the Italian club at the end of his contract last summer. He joined Corinthians in December in a move and has taken nearly three months to reach match fitness.
