Rio de Janeiro - Brazilian superstar Ronaldo received the perfect gift on Christmas eve. His fiancee Maria Beatriz Anthony gave birth to a baby girl on Wednesday, local media reported.

Ronaldo was present when his daughter, Maria Sofia, was born and even cut the umbilical cord. The baby is healthy at 49.5 centimetres and weighs 2.98 kilograms.

This is Ronaldo's second child. He has a son, eight-year-old Ronald, with his former wife and model Milene Domingues.

The off-form Ronaldo is to play football again in 2009, with the Brazilian club Corinthians, his agent confirmed earlier this month.

On its website, the club promises fans "a phenomenal 2009," in an obvious reference to Ronaldo, 32, who is nicknamed "O Fenomeno," the phenomenon.

The preliminary deal put an end to speculation that Ronaldo - the top scorer in the history of World Cup tournaments and three times FIFA World Player of the Year (1996,
1997, 2002) - might retire after undergoing serious left knee surgery in February. (dpa)