Football: Menezes wants Ronaldinho to step up

LONDON: Brazil coach Mano Menezes hopes Ronaldinho can revitalise his struggling side when the Selecao face Ghana in a friendly in London today. Menezes handed Ronaldinho a surprise recall for the fixture after the former Barcelona and AC Milan forward showed signs of a renaissance late in his career. Ronaldinho has scored 15 times this season for Flamengo, a prolific spell perfectly timed for Menezes, who is desperate to inject some swagger into a Brazilian team that was bereft of inspiration as they crashed out of the Copa America in the quarter finals and then lost 2-0 to European powerhouse Germany in a friendly.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th,  2011.