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Rio’s Flamengo may have had a difficult few years, but surely the biggest mistake they have ever made was not coughing up the train fare from Bento Ribeiro into the centre of the city. While this may not have been the first time the Rio giants had had a lifelong fan who couldn’t afford the fare to come for a trial, they evidently didn’t realise just who they were letting go.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário da Lima instead went off to Cruzeiro, and the rest, as they say, is history. Without the catalogue of injuries he has suffered over the last few years, it is arguable that Ronaldo could have gone down in history as the greatest player ever. With his lightning pace, strength on the ball and composure in front of goal, few could stop him in his early years.
Sadly of course, as many people know, a serious knee injury suffered during his second season in Holland with PSV eventually caught up with him and cost him over two years of his career. He was rushed back from injury more than once, and to some it was no surprise when his knee failed again during the 1999-2000 season. However the lowest point must have been the seizure he suffered on the day of the World Cup final in 1998.
The events of that day are still shrouded in mystery, but one thing that was definitely clear was that football’s biggest star had been overused. From the age of just 16 with Cruzeiro through to the disastrous events of the 1998 final in Paris, Ronaldo had been playing football at both national and international level almost non-stop. His return of 113 goals in just 129 games for Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona and Inter shows just what an impact he had on the world game.
After years of doubts surrounding his effectiveness when he would return, and even doubting the possibility of his return, he recovered sufficiently to begin playing regularly in 2002. On the international front, he announced his comeback in the best possible way, scoring eight goals in Japan/Korea. His top-scoring total for that tournament was the highest World Cup total scored by any player since Gerd Muller’s 10 in 1970.
After five years of frustration at Inter (and no league title), he decided he needed a change. After an acrimonious departure from the San Siro, he became the third member of ‘los Galacticos’ at Real Madrid and shortly after was awarded Fifa’s World Player of the Year award for the third time. The doubters remained, however. Now they spoke of his frequent absences through injury, his unwillingness (or inability) to chase around the pitch as he used to.
To other observers, though, it was clear that he had merely adapted his game to suit is physical limitations, as many players who have suffered serious injuries have to. He became more reminiscent of Romário, his former national team strike partner – only interested in putting the ball in the net. He may be a touch overweight, he may look lazy and disinterested at times, but 80 goals in 120 Real Madrid games show that he is far from finished.
Although he now has real rivals for his place in the Brazil team, with Adriano and Robinho heading the queue never let it be forgotten that Brazilian footballers tend to make sure they are in peak condition for the World Cup. It is their stage. Ronaldo is no different in this respect. Do not be surprised if ‘the Phenomenon’ has one more goal-laden victorious tournament left in him.
Position: Striker
Appearances: 91
Goals: 58
Club: Real Madrid (Spain)
Full Name: Ronaldo Luiz Nazário de Lima
Date of birth: 22 September 1976
Place of birth: Bento Ribeiro (RJ)
International debut: Brazil 2-0 Argentina (23 March 1994)
World Cup Squads: 3 (1994, 98 & 2002)
World Cup Appearances: 14 (7 – 1998, 7 – 2002)
Cruzeiro – 1993-94
PSV Eindhoven (Holland) – 1994-96
Barcelona (Spain) – 1996-97
Internazionale (Italy) – 1997-2002
Real Madrid (Spain) – since 2002
Cruzeiro – Brazilian Cup (1993), Minas Gerais State Championship (1994)
PSV Eindhoven – Dutch Cup (1996)
Barcelona – Cup Winners’ Cup (1997), Spanish League Cup (1997)
Internazionale – UEFA Cup (1998)
Real Madrid – Intercontinental Cup (2002), Spanish Championship (2003), Spanish Supercup (2003)
World Cup (1994 & 2002), Copa America (1997 & 99), Confederations Cup (1997)
FIFA World Player of the Year (1996, 97 & 2002), World Cup Player of the Tournament (1998), Italian Championship Player of the Season (1998), World Cup Top Goalscorer (2002), Copa America Top Goalscorer (1999), Spanish Championship Top Goalscorer (1997 & 2004), Dutch Championship Top Goalscorer (1995), Copa Libertadores Top Goalscorer (1994), Libertadores Supercup Top Goalscorer (1993), Minas Gerais State Championship Top Goalscorer (1994)
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* Official Press Releases: Ronaldo launchs his latest boot, MERCURIAL VAPOR III
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Bio written by: Chris Marks
Factfile compiled by: Mark Lowdon
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