Dortmund: Ronaldinho on Thursday said that he might appear to have less of a central role for Brazil than for Barcelona while stressing that the team’s overall shape and form was paramount.

“It’s clear in my mind that I have a different function (with Brazil) which is to get the team into a rhythm and for that I have to renounce my own style of play,” said the World Footballer of the Year.

Ronaldinho has, like teammate Ronaldo not quite found his form, but whereas he is more the individual with Barca, playing further forward.

“My Brazil role is a bit different from Barcelona’s as I operate more in the midfield.”

With Barca he can float more freely as the club can share out creative responsibilities between him, Portuguese international Deco and Argentine starlet Lionel Messi, as well as Frenchman Ludovic Giuly ? with Ronaldinho often getting further into the attack to help Samuel Eto’.

With Brazil, he has to do more of the legwork to act as a provider for Ronaldo and Adriano.

“We all want to help each other out in the (Brazil) squad and so we shun trying to stand out more than the others to aid the solidity of the team,” Ronaldinho explained. “In the midfield, I am playing more for the team than for me.”

With qualification for the last 16 assured ahead of Friday’s match with Japan, coached by former Brazil star Zico, brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is tempted to rest some key squad members.

But the likes of Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos and Emerson are not sold on that idea.

Parreira says he will only pin up the team sheet “in the dressing room.”

(AFP)