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Published: Thursday August 13, 2009 MYT 3:13:00 PM

Ronaldo mysterious on weight reduction surgery

SAO PAULO (AP) - Ronaldo is neither denying nor confirming that he underwent weight reduction surgery while hospitalized to repair a broken hand.

"I don't even know if I did," said Ronaldo, speaking to reporters for the first time since the rumors surfaced following his hand surgery on July 29.

Ronaldo had 12 screws inserted in his left hand to repair fractures sustained after a fall in a Brazilian league match, and local media reported that the striker took advantage of his time in the hospital to have 70 centimeters of fat removed from his waist.

Ronaldo kept quiet at the time, and his club also refrained from confirming or denying the surgery, citing privacy issues.

Ronaldo didn't reveal much on Wednesday.

"What I do in my private life, as I said before, is exclusive to me," Ronaldo said. "I don't have to give explanations to anybody, not to the press and not to the fans. The fans only care about the player Ronaldo."

Doctors removed 16 stitches from Ronaldo's hand and he returned to practice on Wednesday, undergoing a light physical training session.

He was expected to be fit to play by Sept. 5, but he said on Wednesday that he may need an extra week.

Corinthians, a four-time national champion which last year played in the Brazilian league's second division, has been struggling since Ronaldo was sidelined because of his hand injury.

The team hasn't won its five matches since the veteran striker left, and dropped to 11th place in the 20-team standings.

The 32-year-old Ronaldo had been playing well with Corinthians after returning to football in March following the third serious knee injury of his career.

He had been sidelined for more than a year and was visibly overweight when he signed with the Brazilian club in December.

Ronaldo improved his form significantly since then, but acknowledged that he still needed to lose more weight.

Ronaldo was a member of Brazil's team that won its fourth World Cup title in 1994 in the United States, and was the team's top player when it clinched the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

He is the career World Cup scoring leader with 15 goals.

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