The 30-year-old had come in for criticism following a series of injuries and poor form - he had only scored twice before Wednesday and his girth has been a constant source of fascination for the media.

"When you score you are great and when you don't score you are fat," said the former Inter Milan and Barcelona star who was world champion with Brazil four years ago.

A cool wind has blown through Real this season after Italian coach Fabio Capello took charge at a club, which has not won a trophy since 2003, for the second time.

Capello has not allowed reputations to affect his choice of line-up and both Ronaldo and former England star David Beckham have spent time on the bench, the latter most of the season to date.

Implying that both of them ought to play, Ronaldo said that he and Beckham had a "perfect" understanding. The Brazilian added: "I want to continue to be important for this team."

The Brazilian told reporters he still intended to hit his season's target of 30 goals while admitting he did not always see eye to eye with Capello, with whom he said he is sometimes "in disagreement".

Ronaldo denied a story in French newspaper Le Monde which linked Real, Barcelona and two other top Spanish clubs Valencia and Betis to doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who is at the centre of a blood doping affair involving mainly cyclists.

"We're available for any doping tests, including the random tests that are carried out by the federation, UEFA or whoever," said Ronaldo.