The Far Post Header ‘Hall of Fame’ No.4 – Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima. He was, without doubt, one of the greatest players of his generation.
Diego Maradona, who many consider the greatest player to have played the game, once said of Ronaldo:
“Ronaldo is the greatest striker of all-time. Without injuries, he would’ve been the best player of all-time, I have absolutely no doubt about this. He would’ve made the world forget about me and Pele.”
The first Ronaldo made his mark in Europe while at PSV Eindhoven in Holland. He joined them from Brazilian side Cruzerio, where he scored 44 goals in 47 games, including five in a single match.
Ronaldo joined PSV at the age of 17, immediatly after the 1994 World Cup. He was selected for Brazil’s World Cup squad but didn’t feature in any of their matches as they became world champions for the fourth time.
It was his Brazil team mate Romario who advised him to join the Dutch club, having played there himself between 1988 and 1993.
He cost Eindhoven around £5 million but this was to prove money well spent as he fired in 35 goals in 36 appearances in his first season!
He had now gained worldwide interest and stayed in Holland for one more season, winning the Dutch Cup and scoring 19 goals in 21 games.
Bobby Robson moved to Barcelona in the summer of 1996, joining from Portuguese club FC Porto. He was asked who he would like to bring in as a new striker, a position that Barcelona needed filling.
Without hesitation, the former England Manager replied “Ronaldo”. The Brazilian was the first and only player that came to Robson’s mind. He was signed for a world record fee of £13.5 million.
Any fears that the young Brazilian wouldn’t make it were quickly quashed as he scored 47 in 49 games in his only season at the Nou Camp.
He scored a great individual goal against Compostela, weaving past many defenders before slotting home. Bobby Robson’s reaction on the touchline was priceless as he put his hands on his head in amazement.
A couple of months later, Ronaldo was announced as the World Player of the Year, at the age of 20.
Ronaldo scored the winner for Barcelona in the 1997 European Cup Winners Cup Final against Paris Saint Germain but he was was soon on his way out of the club. Issues with Ronaldo’s contract were drawn out over the summer of 1997 and he left to join Inter Milan, for a world record sum of £25 million.
Inter won the 1998 UEFA Cup, beating fellow Italian side Lazio 3-0 in the Final. Ronaldo scored the third goal in the Final to seal the victory.
He won the World Player of the Year for the second time in that first season.
Ronaldo was part of the Brazil side that reached the 1998 World Cup Final, bagging four goals along the way.
The build up to the Final against France was all about Ronaldo. He was omitted from the Brazil team sheet with reports that he had a seizure in the hours leading up to the game.
A revised team sheet was then unveiled and Ronaldo’s name was on it. He played but was very off sorts and Brazil lost the game 3-0.
Ronaldo was awarded the Player of the Tournament, a small consolation for him as he missed out on the biggest prize in football.
Ronaldo would stay at Inter until 2002, when he joined Real Madrid for over £40 million. The move to he Spanish giants came after the World Cup, where he won the Golden Boot, scoring eight goals in the tournament. This included two in the Final against Germany.
Real Madrid were building a formidable side, earning the title of ‘The Galacticos’. Players such as Raul, Roberto Carlos, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and David Beckham joined Ronaldo in a side that won the La Liga in his first season at the club.
Despite being the top goalscorer for Real in his first four seasons at the Bernabeu, Ronaldo decided to join AC Milan in January 2007.
He won the Serie A in his first season in this first season, scoring 7 times in 14 league games.
Injuries began to dog his career and he ended his career in Brazil, playing the last games of his career for Corinthians. He won the Brailian league title and Copa do Brasil in his first season with the club.
Ronaldo ended his career in February 2011, citing injuries as the reason for calling it a day. I was at the Brazil vs Scotland game at the Emirates Stadium a month after he announced his retirement and he made an appearance on the pitch. It was a fitting end to a glittering career.
About Author
