Ronaldo returns for showdown in Milan

Ronaldo headed back to Milan yesterday unsure of what reception awaited him from Internazionale and the club's fans.

The Brazilian striker made it no secret this summer that he wished to join the talent pool at Real Madrid, so when it was announced on Friday that the Spaniards had ended their interest it left him with little option but to return to Milan.

After a brief outing for Brazil on Wednesday night, in the defeat by Paraguay, Ronaldo looked in good shape and will be fit, bar any late injuries, to start the Serie A season in mid-September. But whether Hector Cuper selects him remains to be seen, for the pair are understood to have a fractious relationship.

Ronaldo, for his part, claims he is ready to put behind him the episode which has divided the club's support. A section of the fans still back Ronaldo and agree with his objections to Cuper, while the others abhor the suggestion he could leave the club who have showed him so much faith during his recent years of injury torment.

Ronaldo insists he is looking forward to wearing the black and blue of Inter again, seemingly a good second best to Real's all white for the World Cup's top scorer. But one of Ronaldo's agents, Rodrigo Paiva, said: "I don't know if this is the final full stop, but Ronaldo's situation hasn't changed. He has a contract with Inter and if there is no transfer, he will complete the deal he has signed. If he has to play, he'll play."

The Spanish newspaper Marca reported Ronaldo as suggesting the deal may not be dead, saying: "I think Madrid will continue to work on signing me. At the moment I belong to Inter and I will do what they tell me to."

It is the disruptive influence of the transfer talks which concerns Real Madrid's striker Raul. "What worries me most about the Ronaldo affair is that the names of certain team-mates are in the press every day and that has created uncertainty about their future," he said. "Emotions are very strong and even though players try to be professional and isolate themselves from such rumours, at times it becomes very difficult.

The traditional Super Cup curtain-raiser to Italy's season, to be played in Tripoli today between the Serie A champions Juventus and Italian Cup winners Parma, will go ahead as planned, according to the Libyan news agency Jana.

Earlier in the day, Jana said the game had been postponed. "Some hiccups, which came close to preventing the match from taking place at the scheduled time have been resolved," the report said. "All the preparations have now been completed to allow the match to be played."

Both the Juventus and Parma teams had spent most of Saturday waiting at Malpensa airport outside Milan after their flight to Tripoli had been delayed.

The season opener is normally played in Italy and usually a week before the new Serie A season begins. But after an attractive offer from the Libyan authorities, the Italian Football Association agreed to play the showcase match abroad for the second time in the event's history. Back in 1993, a match between Milan and Torino was played in Washington DC.