Brazilian World Cup star Ronaldo will never again play at the level he did before his knee injury, former Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said in a published interview.

"He needs to work a lot to be 70 per cent, 80 per cent. But he will never again return to the way he was at 18 or 19," Scolari was quoted as saying on the Brazilian soccer web site Lancenet yesterday.

Ronaldo, 26, disproved skeptics by recovering from two knee operations to lead Brazil to a record fifth World Cup title in Japan last year. The Real Madrid star led all scorers with eight goals, including both in Brazil's 2-0 victory over Germany in the final.

But Scolari, who coached the team, said afterwards that Ronaldo wasn't physically 100 per cent at the World Cup and probably never would be again.

The two meet later today when Brazil plays an exhibition match against Portugal, now coached by Scolari.