Brazil legend Ronaldo has announced he will run for the presidency of the country's football association and wants to recover the prestige of the national team.
The 48-year-old, who was capped 98 times, will run as a candidate to replace current Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues.
Brazil, a five-time World Cup winner, and last won the competition in 2002, has not progressed further than the quarter-final stage since.
Ronaldo told Globo Esporte that for many decades, Brazilian football has always been the escape route for the Brazilian people when they faced daily problems.
He says this was the fuel of the Brazilian people, and today, they see a total lack of interest from the population in the national team.
Rodrigues' term runs until March 2026, and the presidential elections must take place in the 12 months before then.
Ronaldo, a World Cup winner in 1994 and 2002, is second on the competition's all-time top scorer list behind Germany's Miroslav Klose with 15 goals in 19 appearances.
The former Real Madrid striker's international career spanned 17 years and included two Copa America titles and an Olympic bronze medal.
Brazil have won the Copa America once since Ronaldo's international retirement in 2011 and were knocked out of the 2022 World Cup by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
As part of his presidency, Ronaldo says he will sell his stake in La Liga side Real Valladolid.
[Source: BBC]
