Brazilian legend Ronaldo has announced he will run for president of the country’s football association and wants to “restore the prestige” of the national team.
The 48-year-old, who has been capped 98 times, will stand as a candidate to replace the current president of the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF), Ednaldo Rodrigues.
Brazil, record five-time World Cup champions, last won the competition in 2002 and have not progressed beyond the quarter-finals since.
“For decades, Brazilian football has always been the escape route for the Brazilian people when they faced everyday problems,” Ronaldo told Globo Esporte.
“This was the fuel of the Brazilian people and today we see a total lack of interest from the people in the national team.
“One of the hundreds of things that motivate me to become a candidate for the presidency of the CBF is regaining this prestige and respect that the national team has always had and that no one else has today.”
Rodrigues’ term of office runs until March 2026, with presidential elections due to take place in the 12 months before that.
Ronaldo, a World Cup winner in 1994 and 2002, is second on the competition’s all-time top scorers list, behind German Miroslav Klose with 15 goals in 19 appearances.
The former Real Madrid striker’s international career spanned seventeen 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.
“We have the best players, we have them [Vinicius Jr]Neymar, Rodrygo, Estevao, Endrick… we have a lot of talent, how can we not play well?” Ronaldo said.
“We must change this dynamic. Brazil must be a key player in the World Cup, in the Copa America, it must not miss the Olympic Games. It is unacceptable for the talent we have.”
As part of his bid for the presidency, Ronaldo says he will sell his stake in La Liga side Real Valladolid.
