Corinthians star Roberto Carlos announced on Thursday that he had convinced Ronaldo to postpone his early retirement.

Carlos said that the striker will only consider retiring from the sport in 2011 or even 2012.

"Ronaldo is a person who needs affection from people," said Carlos. "In times of difficulty, the entire team has done everything possible to console him.

"We give him words of confidence and support. Off the field, he is just fine. However, some people do not respect his victorious trajectory. Abroad, they also gave him a hard time.

"I am not promising that he will overcome all these obstacles simply because he doesn't have anything else to prove.

"Fans love Ronaldo. He is only going to stop playing in 2011 or 2012."

After 16 years of friendship, Carlos is able to quickly identify with Ronaldo and notice any problems. According to the Carlos, Ronaldo is simply in need of attention and is close to returning to the field.

Ronaldo conversed with Corinthians' head coach Adilson Batista, declaring that he is ready to play and will be at the coach's beckoning call, ready to play in the 17th round of the Brazilian Championship against Vitoria at home at the Pacaembu stadium on Sunday, August 29.

Ronaldo will first participate in a team scrimmage on Friday in order to prove his readiness for Sunday's match.