A leg muscle tear will keep Brazilian football (soccer) forward Ronaldinho on the sidelines for several weeks. The injury is likely to also force him to miss Brazil's two upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. Ronaldinho, one of the stars on the Spanish club FC Barcelona, suffered a five-centimeter muscle rupture in his right leg while chasing the ball 18 minutes into Barcelona's league match against Betis on Sunday. The club doctor says Ronaldinho will be out of action between four and five weeks.
Ronaldinho was named in Brazil's squad to play Peru on November 16 and Uruguay on November 19 in South American World Cup qualifying. Ronaldinho also will not likely be ready for Barcelona's first clash of the season with perennial rival Real Madrid in a home game at the beginning of December.
Barcelona signed the 23-year-old Ronaldinho this season with the hope of ending its three-season domestic trophy drought. Barcelona, which is not playing in any European competition this year, won Sunday's match (2-1) to move to fourth place in the 20-team Primera Division, six points behind leader Deportivo de La Coruna.