Brazil coach leaves out Ronaldinho for friendlies
Former great now stands little chance of being picked for London
Sao Paulo: Brazil coach Mano Menezes has failed to pick Ronaldinho for friendlies ahead of the London Games, virtually ending the player's chances of making it to another Olympics.
Neymar, Alexandre Pato and Paulo Henrique Ganso were among the 23 players selected for the friendlies against Denmark on May 26, the United States on May 30, Mexico on June 3 and Argentina on June 9.
The players selected are expected to form the core of a squad which will try to lead Brazil to their first Olympic gold medal in football, and Menezes hinted that those not on the list are unlikely to be in London.
"It's correct to affirm that these 23 names are the base of the Olympic team," Menezes said. "It's unlikely we will make any changes. After making evaluations in the last few months, we think these are the names [for London]."
Only six players on the list are older than 23 — Chelsea defender David Luiz, AC Milan defender Thiago Silva, Barcelona defender Daniel Alves, Real Madrid defender Marcelo, FC Porto striker Hulk and Botafogo goalkeeper Jefferson. The Olympic tournament is played with under-23 squads but each team may use three over-age players.
Two-time world player of the year Ronaldinho had been regularly selected by Menezes despite playing poorly with Brazilian club Flamengo, but Menezes said it is time to try something different.
"If things are not going well, you make a change," Menezes said. "But you have to respect Ronaldinho, he is a world champion. He is they type of player who can rebound and surprise everyone."
Ronaldinho, 32, had been on the list of 52 players pre-selected for the London Games. He played in the 2008 Beijing Olympics at which Brazil lost in the semi-finals to Argentina and finished with bronze.
