Ronaldo has asked Real president to sign Rivaldo

Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian World Cup winner Rivaldo said on Monday he was being humiliated at Italian club AC Milan, where he was left on the substitutes’ bench once again at the weekend.

Rivaldo said he knew why he was being repeatedly overlooked by coach Carlo Ancelotti and said he would reveal the truth at an appropriate moment.

“It’s not because I’m out of form or out of shape, you can be certain about that,” he said in an interview with Jornal da Tarde. “I know the real reason why I’m not playing and everybody else will also know at the right moment.

“Everyone at Milan knows that my physical fitness is among the best in the squad, I always stand out in the tests. And that story about my not being well psychologically isn’t true, either.

“I’m going through a humiliation.”

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has asked Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to sign disgruntled Rivaldo from AC Milan, the Jornal do Brasil said.

The report said that the two players spoke during Ronaldo’s 27th birthday party in Madrid on Monday when Ronaldo promised to do everything he could to persuade Perez to sign his Brazilian teammate. It added that the pair left the house for a game on Ronaldo’s private mini-golf course and that Ronaldo phoned Perez to prove that he was serious.

“I’m going to talk to my president and Rivaldo will be happy with us here at Real,” the newspaper quoted Ronaldo as saying.

Rivaldo joined Milan from Barcelona at the start of last season but has struggled to make an impact and played little more than a bit part in his side’s victorious Champions League campaign. “I’m sad about the situation but I’ve got another two years of my contract to go and I intend to see it through”, Rivaldo said.

Milan’s vice-president Adriano Galliani said last week that Rivaldo would be allowed to leave if he asked for a move.