Ronaldo: challenge on Neymar was intentional

Brazil great Ronaldo says the challenge that resulted in a fractured vertebra for Neymar and ruled him out of the rest of the World Cup was violent and intentional.

Ronaldo, who shares the World Cup goal scoring record, told a news conference Saturday “I don’t think it was a normal football play.”

Neymar was carried off the field in severe pain late in Brazil’s 2-1 quarterfinal win over Colombia after being kneed in the back by Juan Camilo Zuniga. He was expected to be sidelined for four weeks.

Ronaldo said the challenge was aggressive, adding “I think the injury was a very violent one.”

He says “we could see on television there was an intention by the Colombia player to actually cause some harm.”