He fell out with previous coach Frank Rijkaard after refusing to come on as a substitute during a match in 2007 following his recovery from a broken leg.

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They already trailed to a 22nd minute goal by Simone Tiribocchi and looked set for another defeat until substitute Ronaldinho scored six minutes from time to ease some of the pressure on coach Leonardo.

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It was then that he stormed out of the Dutch camp, furious with Guus Hiddink, accusing the coach and senior white players of racial discrimination after he played only a substitute's role in one of the first two group games.

BBC: Edgar Davids