Cafu is back training this week with Italian Serie A side AS Roma, but the events of July 12 in Paris are still fresh in the defender's mind.

``I'm sure that Ronaldo will be back at his best with Inter Milan,'' he said. ``But we all have to forget what happened on a very difficult day for him. Everywhere he goes, people are asking about that incident. He is young and he is under too much pressure, he has too much responsibility, added Cafu.

``It's absurd for a youngster who's 21 years old. Inter have to help him, and it's only right for him to have a longer holiday than others.''

Casting back to the day of the final, Cafu said: ``When I went into his room and I saw him lying there, having convulsions, I was frightened.''

Ronaldo later recovered and joined the rest of the team at the Stade De France, even though hehad been left off the original team sheet issued by the organisers.

To conceal what was going on behind the scenes, Brazil did not come out onto the pitch for the usual pre-match warm-up.

``And that was why,'' Cafu said. ``When we arrived at the stadium, Edmundo was supposed to play, and then Ronaldo arrived. We stayed down below because we didn't want people to see he wasn't there, so as to avoid any controversy.''

As for the decision to play Ronaldo, Cafu said: ``Someone had to take the decision, and the last word is always with the coach. We didn't know anything about that but he seemed alright when we were getting ready.''