Zico missed out on winning the World Cup with Brazil three times as a player but could be tempted to have another shot as coach.

He also wondered what might have happened in the 1982 tournament if Ronaldo had been born 20 years earlier and led the attack in one of the best Brazil sides not to win the trophy.

But Zico, now in charge of the Japan team, said he did not want the honour -- nor the intense pressure that went with it -- until after 2006.

"I never say never. To coach Brazil is as high as you can go in the game. I won't say I'm definitely going to rule it out," Zico said in an interview.

"But right now, my commitment is to Japan. My focus is to get Japan to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, to get results there and then...ciao. I'm not thinking beyond that.

"There is enough pressure in Japan. In Brazil, it can suffocate you. In the short-term I would rather leave it than take it. But in football, you never know what can happen."

Zico scored 54 goals in 78 games for Brazil but in his second World Cup in 1982 at the peak of his career the favourites went out 3-2 to a Paolo Rossi hat-trick for Italy who went on to win the trophy.

The 50-year-old, Mario Zagallo's right hand man for the Brazil team that lost the 1998 final to France, said however that he had no regrets.

STREET-WISE ITALY

"That was a great Brazil team in 1982 -- at that time the best team in the world. Unfortunately, Italy were a little more street-wise than us," said Zico, who also played at the 1978 and 1986 World Cup finals.

"Italy had only won once before that match, but they conserved energy when they needed to during the tournament. Brazil scored a lot of goals but by the time we met Italy, we were tired."

Asked to compare the Brazil team of 1982, which also included the likes of Socrates, Falcao, Toninho Cerezo and Junior, to the Brazil side that won the 2002 World Cup, Zico replied diplomatically: "They won the World Cup. We didn't.

"If we had won it in 1982, I would have said our team was better. But since we got beaten, it's not fair to compare us to the current Brazil team.

"Brazil had an excellent team at the World Cup last year. They had a good balance between attack and defence. Also, the hurt of losing to France in 1998 meant that a lot of the players had a point to prove."

Zico said only half jokingly his only regret was that Ronaldo, who scored both goals to give Brazil a 2-0 victory over Germany in the World Cup final in Japan last year, had not been born 20 years earlier.

RONALDO FACTOR

"Imagine if that 1982 Brazil team had Ronaldo...wow! His technique, his strength and the way he comes up with the important goals always make him a factor," said Zico.

Brazil in 1982 had Serginho, a lumbering central striker widely regarded as their Achilles heel, leading the attack in a side with an abundance of brilliant ball players.

"Ronaldo is breaking all sorts of records and will keep on doing so. He has come back from all his injury problems and still produces on the pitch. That's the mark of a great player."

Long established among the pantheon of football greats, Zico also suffered a serious knee injury that would have kept him out of the 1986 World Cup had the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) not persuaded him to play.

"I was in no condition to do a job for Brazil but the CBF said they needed me. For your country you go," said Zico, who missed a penalty after coming on as a substitute in the quarter-final defeat by France.

"I didn't bury my head in my pillow or lose sleep afterwards. I did my best for Brazil with my knee in the condition it was in. Maybe God, or fate, decided that should end like that."

Typically positive, Zico said he could still be proud that during the 1970s and 1980s he had been able to take free kicks like England captain David Beckham.

"His judgement of distance and power is amazing. Beckham is one of the best in the world at taking free kicks. But I scored a few in my day too. I don't want to blow my own trumpet but I think I was at the same sort of level."