To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders, Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications, .css-1diosym{color:black;}@media (prefers-color-scheme:dark){.css-1diosym{color:#fff;}}Published17:38,31 October 2020 GMT@media (prefers-color-scheme:dark){.css-jirzs7{color:#72B97D;}}| Last updated17:39,31 October 2020 GMT. [108], Ronaldo scored in Corinthians 42 aggregate defeat of Internacional in the final of the 2009 Copa do Brasil, helping the club win the trophy for the third time (the second of his career), thus earning a spot in the Copa Libertadores 2010. Often dubbed 'R9', the former Real Madrid man won a slew of trophies in his career including two World Cups with Brazil. [118] He discovered he had hypothyroidism a condition which slows down metabolism and causes weight gain during tests with Milan in 2007. Then he came to Barcelona. Planet Sport runs through some of his key career stats: 3 - the record number of World Cups won by Pele, in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He was inventing things on the spot, so you can't guide him left or right because he's going to get out of these situations, no matter what". Scored 55 goals in 80 games during the 1980-81 season. Most strikers need the midfielders and their teammates, but he does not. [29], In his final two seasons at Real Madrid, Ronaldo missed a number of games with injuries and weight issues, and with the acquisition of Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2006, he grew further out of favour with the manager Fabio Capello. [67] He finished the season as La Liga's top scorer with 25 goals and received the Pichichi Trophy for a second time, despite Madrid losing the league title to Valencia. [25], During his spell at PSV, Ronaldo attracted the attention of both Inter Milan and FC Barcelona. "[66] By 2003 he was fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, and had a good understanding of English. [62] That same reception was observed at the final game of the season against Athletic Bilbao, where Ronaldo scored to finish his first season with 23 league goals and seal La Liga title for 2003. In the 1990s, in his physical pomp, in his free-flowing prime, there was nothing remotely like him. His reaction was the same. "[218] A reliance on his superior innate ability is given as a reason for his application in training often not being as high as his teammates though his knee issues may also have been a factor with his Brazil teammate Emerson stating "Ronaldo felt he didn't need to work as hard as us, that he could do in two days what the rest of us would take ten days to do. [194] Joined by Didier Drogba in attack, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the next year's match on 21 April 2015 in St Etienne, France, with proceeds going towards the African countries most affected by the Ebola epidemic. This attacking performance currently places them at 3rd out of 326 for Bundesliga Players who've played at least 3 matches. He began racking up assists, became first-choice penalty taker, taking and scoring freekicks. Stats by club Actually, at the time, I thought it was some philosophy, something to that effect. [218] On his precocious talent a talent which saw him become the youngest FIFA World Player of the Year at age 20, and youngest Ballon d'Or recipient aged 21 Rob Smyth of The Guardian wrote in 2016, "Ronaldo is easily the best of the past 30 years, possibly ever. He scored 136 goals in 236 apps he made with Santos from 2009-2013. [257] Ronaldo made a cameo appearance in Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001) and each film of the Goal! We're now used to seeing Messi dribble past six players, but not then. He was unmarkable. [63][71][199][208], "I've never seen a player able to show such precise control at such high speed. One of them, a solo goal against Compostela, is considered one of the most amazing goals in football. There is no direct surgery for that so the kneecap keeps, for a lack of a better word, "dancing" on the femur. [185] After the first half ended, Ronaldo made a farewell speech to the crowd. [98] Teammate Clarence Seedorf stated, "My heart stopped beating because it was like watching a repeat of the injury he suffered playing for Inter Milan against Lazio [in 2000]. He also represented some of the world's biggest clubs, including Inter Milan and Barcelona. [50][75], While past his 1990s prime, Ronaldo still drew praise from his Madrid colleagues, with Zidane stating, "Without hesitation, Ronaldo is the best player I ever played with or against. [240], "In the dressing room, I was sat between [Paolo] Maldini and Ronaldo, who asked me if I wanted to be part of his clan, showing me a copy of Playboy, or if wanted to be part of Kak's clan, who had a few church things in the dressing room. [44] His Inter teammate Youri Djorkaeff stated; "Ronaldo was phenomenal. In 2020, Ronaldo was named in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, a greatest all-time XI published by France Football magazine. [141] Steinberg states that Ronaldo "sleepwalked" through the final, which also saw him injured in a collision with French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. 2 Pele's goal tally has been controversial for many years Credit: Rex And that puts him top of the charts in football history as the greatest goal scorer ever. Yokohama, Japan. P. 174. [63], "He got the standing ovation he deserved from the crowd. The legendary football player, Ronaldinho, was born on March 21, 1980, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Precisely how many time Pele hit the net is a matter of debate, with most statisticians agreeing the number is between 1,281 and 1,283. [6][8] Crediting futsal for developing his skills, Ronaldo has said, "futsal will always be my first love. The ceremony reportedly cost 700,000 (896,000). [92] Ronaldo stated, "I live football with a passion that doesn't give me any peace for not winning the Champions League it's a trophy everyone would love to win. An inquest was launched in Brazil, with team doctor Ldio Toledo telling the commission "imagine if I stopped Ronaldo playing and Brazil lost. The 10 best players of World Cup 2002. The first time was in 2006-07, when he finished second in voting for the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman. [71] Speaking in 2017 on Ronaldo's weight issues and lack of fitness at Madrid, in addition to his ability, Capello summed up the conflicting emotions he has with the Brazilian, "the most difficult player to handle was the best I coached: Ronaldo, il Fenomeno. Had he managed to stay free of injury, he had every chance of becoming the best footballer ever. [102][103] On 9 December, however, Ronaldo signed a one-year deal with Flamengo's league rival Corinthians. Date of birth/Age: Sep 22, 1976 (46) Place of birth: Rio de Janeiro Citizenship: Brazil Height: 1,83 m Position: Centre-Forward Former International: Brazil Caps/Goals: 99 / 62 Currently working as: President Club: Real Valladolid Profile Stats Market value Transfers Rumours National team News Achievements Career All goals The forward was nicknamed 'Fenomeno' in his playing days and it isn't hard to see why. "[233] According to a study led by geneticist Srgio Pena of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, most Brazilians often have a misconception about their roots. But he could also produce those things while running at an unbelievable, explosive pace. Ronaldo became the majority owner of Real Valladolid in September 2018, after buying 51% of the club's shares. During his jaw-dropping career at Barcelona, Messi scored a mind-boggling 672 goals in 778 appearances, breaking numerous records during his spell at Camp Nou. [25] Barcelona thought there was an agreement in place, with Barcelona president Josep Llus Nez saying "He's ours for life", but when the parties reconvened the following day, the agreement collapsed, with Nez admitting: "It's all over, Ronaldo is going". [125] Another player, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, now widely known as Ronaldinho, was called Ronaldinho Gacho when he joined the Brazil team in 1999. [30], Arguably Ronaldo's most memorable Barcelona goal was scored at SD Compostela on 11 October 1996; having received the ball inside his own half, he evaded a cynical tackle of the first opponent with a drag back, before running away from another and ran towards goal, going past two more defenders in the box with close ball control, before finishing into the bottom corner of the net. [183], Ronaldo played for 15 minutes in a match that ended with a Brazilian victory with a goal from Fred. [21] With PSV, Ronaldo won the Dutch Cup in 1996 and he was Eredivisie top scorer in 1995. This victory, for our fifth world title, has crowned my recovery and the work of the whole team. From that point on he showed he was truly a phenomenon. [115][116][117] In an emotional press conference on 14 February, he cited pain and hypothyroidism as the reasons for his premature retirement. Halfway through his first season he won FIFA World Player of the Year for the second time, and collected the Ballon d'Or. [134] Zagallo admitted the fears over Ronaldo affected his team psychologically, and stated "for the whole of the first half I was wondering whether to take him off", but feared a public outcry in Brazil had he done so. #1 Ronaldo", "Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, Zlatan Ibrahimovic: The best players never to win Champions League 25-1", "The best not to have won the Champions League", "4 Great Moments from Ronaldo's AC Milan Career", "Ronaldo faces end of road after new injury blow", "Ronaldo sparks fury by ditching Flamengo for Corinthians", "Ronaldo returns to training with Flamengo but remains a free agent", "Aos 22min do 2 tempo, Ronaldo estria pelo Corinthians", "Com gol de Ronaldo no final, Corinthians arranca empate contra o Palmeiras", "Cuddly comeback king Ronaldo eating balls again", "Ronaldo Renews Corinthians Contract, Will Retire In 2011", "Ronaldo announces retirement after going from fab to flab", "Ronaldo confirma o fim da carreira (In Portuguese)", "Emocionado, Ronaldo atribui adeus s dores e ao hipotireoidismo", "Ronaldo admits in emotional retirement address: 'I lost to my body', "Confira todos os nmeros e gols de Ronaldo pela seleo brasileira", "Sorte e orgulho: islandeses relembram primeiro gol de Ronaldo pela Selao", "Ronaldo's redemption: recalling the Brazil striker's World Cup fairytale 15 years on", "Ronaldo: It was a fabulous feeling to kiss the Trophy", "Was Ronaldo Originally Called Ronaldinho? He had such an ease with the ball. [25], Ronaldo's time at Barcelona lasted one season, as there were problems with the renegotiation of his contract. "[134], Ronaldo scored four goals and made three assists en route to the final,[135][136] scoring once and assisting Bebeto's goal in a 30 win against Morocco in the team's second group stage match,[137] netting twice in a 41 win against Chile in the round of 16, setup two goals in Brazil's 32 victory over Denmark in the quarter-finals,[135][138] and scored once in the 11 draw against the Netherlands in the semi-finals, also netting Brazil's first penalty in the 42 shootout victory. [256] Simon Crerar of The Times listed Ronaldo's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show. The boy was born after a brief relationship between Ronaldo and Michele Umezu, a Brazilian waitress who Ronaldo first met in Tokyo in 2002. ", Fabio Capello on Ronaldo's weight issues at Madrid. [212] Naming Ronaldo as an inspiration, Wayne Rooney stated, "as an out-and-out forward he was probably the best. Whenever he wanted to turn it on he could, on any stage, in any stadium". [12] Ronaldo's agents in Brazil, Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins, signed him as a 13-year-old. He didn't just run fast in a straight line, he also changed direction at incredible speed. [123][153], Ronaldo scored against every opponent in the tournament except in the quarter-finals against England. [49] During his first comeback on 12 April 2000, he played only six minutes during the first leg of the Coppa Italia final against Lazio before suffering a complete rupture of the knee-cap tendons. [221], At his physical peak in the 1990s, Ronaldo became severely affected by the knee injuries he suffered from late 1999 onward and the subsequent weight gain during his inactivity, which limited his speed, fitness, and mobility. "[78][79], On 18 January 2007, it was reported that Ronaldo agreed terms with AC Milan for a transfer of 8.05million. "Injuries killed a career that could have been even more incredible, but the talent that that 19-year-old boy had was something incredible. Information about Ronaldo and his performace in the FIFA Soccer World Cup. [163] With 10 goals in 15 games, including a goal against Venezuela in the last game to secure first place, Ronaldo was the South American top scorer in Brazil's qualifying campaign. [179] Ronaldo finished with fifteen goals in nineteen World Cup matches, for an average of 0.79 per game. "[124] Dubbed the "three R's", Ronaldo starred in a formidable attack alongside Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, and the trio were named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. [271] Unveiled in 2000, a bronze statue of Ronaldo is located next to Ronaldo Field at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. [173], With two goals against Japan in the third match, Ronaldo became the 20th player to score in three World Cups and also equalled the all-time World Cup finals scoring record of fourteen, held by Gerd Mller (Ronaldo scored at France 98, Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006). [188][189][190] In December 2012, Ronaldo and Zidane reunited for the Match Against Poverty in Porto Alegre, Portugal, with the field littered with World Cup winners from France and Brazil, which also saw 1982 World Cup star Zico (Ronaldo's childhood idol) turn out for Ronaldo's team. Emilio Butragueo stated, "Ronaldo creates a goalscoring opportunity where it doesn't exist. However, after a series of knee injuries and recuperation, he was inactive for almost three years. [52], Ronaldo was forced to miss the entire 200001 season and much of the two seasons either side of it. Kogan Page Publishers. He's the most spectacular player I've ever seen. In 2005, Ronaldo became engaged to Brazilian model and MTV VJ Daniela Cicarelli, who became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage; the relationship lasted only three months after their luxurious wedding at the Chteau de Chantilly. [66], In a 2005 interview with Folha de S.Paulo, Ronaldo revealed that, somewhat unexpectedly, he identified racially as white,[231] generating a wider conversation about the complex role of race in Brazil. "[23] In one on one situations, Ronaldo often used elaborate feints to trick and beat defenders and goalkeepers; he popularised the use of many football tricks such as the elastico and the step over. However, he had a rough start at his new club as he scored just nine in 33 appearances in his debut season. [65] Completing his hat-trick with a swerving strike from 30 yards, Ronaldo was substituted off after 67 minutes, and was given a standing ovation from both sets of fans. [267], "Ronaldo is the most global of all athletes today, bar none. It's an astonishing feat for one of the world's greatest strikers. He scored twice in the final and received the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer. Ronaldo was one of the most marketable sportsmen in the world during his playing career. 12 of those goals came during his 14 World Cup appearances,. [138][139][140] Hours before the final against France, Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit. [28] He also won La Liga top scorer award in 1997 with 34 goals in 37 games, and the European Golden Shoe. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament after he helped Brazil reach the final, where he suffered a convulsive fit hours before kick-off. He did things I'd never seen before. Maradona was controversially voted best player of all time in an internet . He was the fastest thing I've ever seen running with the ball. [56][57] After five years he had played 99 games and scored 59 goals for Nerazzurri. "[23] He frequently beat several players when dribbling at speed, and excelled in one on one situations, due to his ball control, acceleration, agility, balance and nimble footwork in his prime. [26] Speaking to The New York Times regarding Ronaldo later that season, Robson said "I don't think I've ever seen a player at 20 have so much". [50][51] Ronaldo's physiotherapist Nilton Petrone stated, "his knee-cap actually exploded", and called it "the worst football injury" he's ever seen. [156] In the final against Germany in Yokohama, Japan, Ronaldo scored twice in Brazil's 20 win and tied Pel's Brazilian record of 12 career World Cup goals. [229] The marriage lasted four years. [48] However, on 21 November, during a Serie A match against Lecce, Ronaldo felt his knee buckle and was forced to limp off the field. [23][45] By the end of the 199899 season, he was appointed Inter Milan captain. Matches and goals scored during his career, 1976-1998, by league Diego Armando Maradona, an Argentine soccer star, played over 600 matches in his professional career, scoring 338 goals. [147], Prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo had barely played since rupturing the cruciate ligament in his right knee in April 2000, and he missed Brazil's entire qualification campaign where, in his absence, the team had been poor. [58][59], Having signed for Real Madrid for 46million, his jersey sales broke all records on the first day. The Brazilian scored 414 goals in 616 appearances for club and country throughout his career. [253][254] In 2017, Ronaldo's son, Ronald, was selected for the junior football team representing Brazil in the 2017 Maccabiah Games. "[143] Despite his sub-par performance in the final due to his seizure hours earlier, Ronaldo was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament for his performances leading up to the final, and finished the tournament as the joint-third highest scorer. [94][95] The closest that he came to Champions League success was in 2003 when he helped Real Madrid to the semi-finals, in which they lost to Juventus. See also Cristiano Ronaldo Wants to Leave Manchester United [41] During his time with Inter, he scored several goals against city rivals A.C. Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. "[23] Ronaldo's second season was marred by a knee injury which kept him out of most of the campaign, but he still averaged nearly a goal a game, scoring 19 goals in 21 appearances,[20] including a UEFA Cup four-goal haul against Finnish side MyPa. R9 struck 414 time in his career. Here was the world's most famous sportsman, about to take part in the most important match of his career, when he suddenly, inexplicably, fell ill. Was it stress, epilepsy, or had he been drugged? As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, Ronaldo has been an influence for a generation of strikers that have followed. Ronaldo Lus Nazrio de Lima was born on 18 September 1976 in Rio de Janeiro as the third child of Nlio Nazrio de Lima Snr. It was as if he had come from the moon. The other Ronaldo and Messi were brilliant teenagers but had nothing like the same impact at that age. [80] Departing Real Madrid having been the club's leading goalscorer for all of his four full seasons, Ronaldo thanked everyone except Capello, "I would like to thank the fans who've supported me all the time and thank all the teammates that I've had here and all the coaches I've had except one". To miss the entire 200001 season and much of the two seasons either side of.. 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