The paper quoted Joaquim Valdimar Goncalves Garcia, Ronaldinho's personal trainer as saying that the player's early hours training includes hours of jogging and playing footvolley, avariation of volleyball where players cannot use their hands, on Castelldefels beach, a comparatively isolated spot, 25 km from Barcelona.

He chose the akward timetable because it allows him privacy, the trainer said.

"It's hard for him to leave home without being recognized, so we have to opt for times when the beach is empty," Goncalves said.

Ronaldinho plays for Spanish league giant Barcelona FC. He received the second FIFA World Player of the Year award in December and helped Barcelona win the 2005 league, for the first time in six years. Enditem