The striker, one of the stars of their 1994 triumph in the USA, has been unable to train with the rest of the squad since they gathered in France last month.

Romario: A big hit in 1994

Brazilian manager Mario Zagallo told a news conference that Romario was still suffering pain in his right calf and the injury could take between 10 days and a month to heal fully.

"We waited until the last possible moment. We have given him our total backing and we have done the best we can for him. It's sad but life has to go on. This is part of the reality of football," he said.

The decision to leave him out of the squad was taken jointly by Zagallo, the team's technical co-ordinator Zico and doctor Lidio Toledo after they received the results of a scan on the injury.

"It's the biggest disappointment of my life, but this doesn't mean I won't play for Brazil again," said Romario. "I had been hoping against hope I would be fit but I had to agree with the decision."

The 32 year-old will be replaced by midfielder Emerson, who plays his club football for Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga.