Ronaldo needs to lose weight before being able to fully recover from the knee injury that has kept him from playing since February, his doctor said yesterday.

Ronaldo, who has been without a club since his contract with AC Milan expired in June, began the final stage of his recovery at Flamengo yesterday.

"The player is extremely upbeat," Brazil and Flamengo doctor José Luiz Runco told Radio Brasil. "Clinically, he is doing very well. He needs to lose weight, then he will start practising with a ball again."

The striker, who reached a deal to use Flamengo's facilities in Rio de Janeiro to complete his recovery, said it's natural he was out of form.

"I haven't played in six months, of course I'm overweight," he said. "Everybody would gain weight in a situation like this."

Ronaldo, who turns 32 this month, was photographed visibly overweight while vacationing in Ibiza recently. In April, he made the headlines after being involved in a controversy with cross-dressing prostitutes in Rio.

"Now the hardest stage of the recovery process begins," Ronaldo said.

The striker ruptured a tendon in his left knee in an Italian league match in February. He was expected to be sidelined for at least nine months, and it still wasn't clear when he will be able to play again, Runco said.

A long-time fan of Flamengo, Ronaldo has been linked to a move to the Brazilian club when he is fit again.

The three-time world player of the year has battled serious injuries throughout his career, including a right knee injury that kept him sidelined for nearly a year in 2000. He recovered in time to lead Brazil to the 2002 World Cup title, scoring two goals in the final against Germany.