Ronaldinho ready to rule

Ronaldinho burst on to the international scene in a 1999 Copa America game against Venezuela when he scored a goal reminiscent of Pele's 1958 famous World Cup final effort.

Two minutes after coming on as a substitute for his second international appearance, the 19-year-old Ronaldinho flicked the ball over a defender, swept past another and fired the ball into the goal between goalkeeper Renny Vega and the near post.

It was clear that Brazil had unearthed another gem.

Seven years on, Ronaldinho is widely acclaimed as the world's best. No other player has such a wide range of tricks at his disposal and no other player seems to enjoy himself, as illustrated by Ronaldinho's trademark grin.

Yet there is still an underlying feeling in Brazil that something is missing from Ronaldinho's career.

Despite that spectacular goal in 1999 and his presence in the 2002 World Cup winning team, Ronaldinho has yet to perform at his very best for his country on a consistent basis.

There have been flashes of his brilliance but, as often as not, he has failed to meet expectations.

In 2002, for example, he played second fiddle to Rivaldo and Ronaldo and blotted his copybook by being sent off early in the second half of the quarter-final against England shortly after scoring the winning goal.

There is little doubt that his World Player of Year award in 2005 was achieved on the basis of what he did with Barcelona rather than Brazil, even allowing for his display in the Confederations Cup.

It may seem harsh to say that Ronaldinho still has something to prove but the player seems ready to have the last laugh.

His performances for Barca during their march to the Champions League final have been spell-binding, even though he was not at his absolute best in their 2-1 win over Arsenal in the final in Paris on May 17.

Last year he scored one of the greatest goals ever seen in a European tie in England when he rifled home an unstoppable shot against Chelsea in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge.

This season he created a magnificent goal for Ludovic Giuly to score against AC Milan in the Champions League semi-final in Milan.

There is now a huge expectation on him to perform to those high standards in the finals in Germany.

For Brazilians, who have been spoiled by the talents of Pele, Garrincha and Zico in the past, anything other than a great World Cup will be seen as a let-down.