In an interview with the daily newspaper L'Equipe, former striker Ronaldo "The Phenomenon" revealed the behind-the-scenes story of Brazil 's 0-1 defeat to France in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup .
Ronaldo revealed that he had to ask Zinedine Zidane to leave the Brazil dressing room after the match in Frankfurt, Germany.
Voted Man of the Match, Zidane went into the Brazilian dressing room to exchange shirts with the players after the final whistle.
“We spoke after the match. Zidane came into our dressing room, but the atmosphere was incredibly heavy, many players were crying , ” Ronaldo told L’Equipe.
“We were friends then and still are now… But it really wasn’t the right time to swap shirts. I congratulated him, but also politely asked him to leave the dressing room . ”
At the 2006 World Cup, Brazil entered the tournament as the defending champions and were considered the top contender for the gold trophy. The "Selecao" squad at that time boasted a host of stars such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Adriano, and Kaka.
However, in the quarter-finals, Brazil unexpectedly fell to France in a night of brilliant performance from Zidane .
The legendary French midfielder even chipped the ball over Ronaldo's head, creating one of the most memorable moments of the match.
“He was truly in extraordinary form that day. It’s no coincidence that his performance is considered one of the best individual performances in World Cup history , ” Ronaldo praised.
Despite overcoming Brazil to reach the final, the French team ultimately finished as runners-up after losing to Italy on penalties.
In the final match of his career, Zidane was sent off for his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi.
At the end of the interview, Ronaldo also expressed his views on the decline of Brazilian football and the reasons why the national team no longer holds the dominant position it once did.
"We're talking about the most popular sport in the world , " commented Ro the Fat. "There are now many strong players and teams all over the planet."
Over the years, Brazil has ceased to be the undisputed number one contender , but it remains consistently regarded as one of the powerhouses of football .
The 1994 and 2002 World Cup champion concluded: “ With a history of always being considered a title contender and the special place football holds in Brazilian culture, expectations for the national team are always very high . ”