Roberto Carlos set to talk to Dunga about return to Brazil side

"I am going through the best part of my career. When I think the time is right, I will call him to talk, with no pressure, about his plans for me. I think that the player must take that initiative," Roberto Carlos said in an interview which Brazilian online magazine Invicto published Wednesday.

 The defender, 34, who was for over 10 years until mid-2007 one of the stars of Spanish giant Real Madrid, said he wishes to erase the poor image he gave in the most recent World Cup, when he was one of the players most heavily criticised by fans.

 "My real image is that I have played 132 games with the national team, with only 16 defeats. I think people made up an unfair, disrespectful image," he complained.

 Following the 2006 World Cup, Carlos retired from the national team, but now he would like to return and made it clear that he would be happy to remain on the bench.

 "I want to return because I feel well. I do not even care about being in the starting line-up. I am going to work to win. I would return with my head up, and happy," the left-back stressed.

 An optimistic Carlos even ventured that he feels up to playing the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when he is set to be 37.

 "I think I am in a position to play (the 2010 World Cup). I am physically fit. The physical aspect is what is most important," he noted.