You'd be at a table with him and it'd be a judge sitting opposite talking to a politician with someone off the street listening in. Awesome. It's time to go. An inquest was launched in Brazil, with team doctor Ldio Toledo telling the commission "imagine if I stopped Ronaldo playing and Brazil lost. [27] A hat-trick against Valencia, the third goal of which saw him dissect two Valencia defenders before striking the ball into the net, saw Barcelona fans waving white handkerchiefs as an expression of admiration for an exceptional performance. ", Quinton Fortune remembers playing against Ronaldo in the 199697 season. [42] Ronaldo's goal celebrations often saw his Inter teammates congratulating him by kneeling down and pretending to shine his shoe. [63], "He got the standing ovation he deserved from the crowd. "[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. "[55] Prior to his November 1999 injury Ronaldo had registered 42 goals in 58 Serie A games, in what was the hardest league to score in with the most advanced defensive strategies and the world's best defenders. "[224], In December 2021, Ronaldo bought a controlling stake in his boyhood club Cruzeiro. [63][71][209] Sid Lowe of Sports Illustrated wrote, "When he was one on one with the goalkeeper, you knew that he would score. Perhaps the most complete striker in the recent past, Ronaldo has also won the World Cup twice with Brazil. ", Manchester United assistant coach Mike Phelan on the ovation given to Ronaldo after his hat-trick for Real Madrid at Old Trafford. [274] In the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, he starred in Nike's "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded "Scopion KO") directed by Terry Gilliam, appearing alongside football players such as Thierry Henry, Fabio Cannavaro, Francesco Totti, Ronaldinho and Hidetoshi Nakata, with former player Eric Cantona as the tournament "referee". [251][252] In 2015, Ronaldo opened eight new branches of his youth football school the Ronaldo Academy in China, the U.S. and Brazil, with 100 expected to be opened worldwide by 2020. What allowed him so many chances at an open net was his close control when one on one with the keeper. [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. It was Barcelona that was willing to pay the then world record fee of $19.5million, and he joined the club on 17 July 1996. Often dubbed 'R9', the former Real Madrid man won a slew of trophies in his career including two World Cups with Brazil. Ronaldo was one of the most marketable sportsmen in the world during his playing career. [43] Ronaldo scored a trademark goal against Lazio in the 1998 UEFA Cup Final. [222], In September 2018, Ronaldo became the majority owner of La Liga club Real Valladolid after buying a 51% controlling stake in the club for 30 million. [159][160][161] In a 2017 interview with Fox Sports, Ronaldo stated, "the best team I played in was the Brazilian one in 2002, we felt that we could always score. "[20] Rob Smyth added, "In many ways Ronaldo was the first PlayStation footballer. ", Ronaldo entered the 1998 FIFA World Cup billed as the world's greatest player by reporters in the sport. Position: Forward Games played: 177 Goals scored: 104 Brazilian international: 105 caps A goal-scoring phenomenon He was endowed with physical attributes and skill only available to those. He was unmarkable. [23], His coach at Barcelona, Bobby Robson, commented: "Ronaldo could start from the halfway line and the whole stadium would ignite. John Wiley & Sons. ", Featured Image Credit: PA Images & @FinishedPlayers/YouTube, Topics:.css-wpf514{color:#72B97D;}Football News, Football, Ronaldo, Brazil, Real Madrid, Inter, Inter Milan, Fascinating reason behind why Brighton players stand still with their studs on the ball, its absolutely genius, Fans are putting 'absolute steal' Wout Weghorst into their Fantasy team ahead of Man Utd debut, Gabby Agbonlahor says Man Utd fans are less bothered about The Glazers when they win, Infamous porn noise played during BBC's LIVE broadcast ahead of FA Cup match, Gary Lineker couldn't believe it, VAR referee Mike Dean blasted for 'worst mistake of the season' so far, Luis Suarez scores 38-minute hat-trick on debut for Gremio, he is eternal, YouTube prankster claims he is responsible for sex noises during BBC's live FA Cup broadcast, he shows how he did it, he suffered a catalogue of serious knee injuries, who believes he is the best player he's ever seen, Ronaldo Reveals Teammate Used To Take Him Out To Try And Take His Starting Spot, Cristiano Ronaldo sold one of his five Ballon d'Ors to Israel's richest person, Walter Samuel Invented A Whole New Method To Stop Ronaldo Nazario, Fans are excited as Ronaldo Nazario drops trailer for The Phenomenon documentary. [52], Ronaldo was forced to miss the entire 200001 season and much of the two seasons either side of it. "[114], In February 2011, after Corinthians were eliminated from the 2011 Copa Libertadores by the Colombian team Deportes Tolima, Ronaldo announced his retirement from football, concluding an 18-year career. I know, I lost my battle. At that moment I'd have to go and live on the North Pole. [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. "[44] After the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he was named player of the tournament, Ronaldo was widely regarded as the best striker in the world. Answer (1 of 3): Pele is a retired Brazilian football player, widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time. [24] In his two seasons at the club he scored 54 goals in 58 games. 88 of his 414 goals involved rounding the goalkeeper and tapping into an empty net, which is a staggering 21%. He is a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or award. It was in a game where he ended up scoring five goals. "[76] Michael Owen, who joined Madrid in 2004, acknowledged that he never got the chance to play with Ronaldo in his prime when "he had absolute blistering speed and strength, mesmerizing foot speed, he was just a blur, he'd be that fast", before adding, "even in training, he showed more than enough to convince me that I would have loved to play with him at his peak. How many goals did Pele score in his career? [20][21] On 28 August 1994, Ronaldo scored ten minutes into his debut against Vitesse, and scored a brace on his home debut against Go Ahead Eagles. [258] Archive footage of Ronaldo features in the music video "We Are One (Ole Ola)", the official song of the 2014 World Cup by Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez. Brazil went on to win the bronze medal. "[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. Ronaldo scored four goals and made three assists en route to the final, scoring once and assisting Bebeto's goal in a 3-0 win against Morocco in the team's second group stage match, netting twice in a 4-1 win against Chile in the round of 16, set-up two goals in Brazil's 3-2 victory over Denmark in the quarter-finals, and scored once in . "[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. "Rigorous Magic: Communication Ideas and their Application". [164] Prior to the tournament, questions were asked of his weight and fitness,[165][166] but was declared fit for Brazil's opening match with Croatia. [25], Ronaldo's time at Barcelona lasted one season, as there were problems with the renegotiation of his contract. He was a wonderful person. In 2018, Ronaldo's R9 Mercurial boots inspired the Nike Mercurial Superfly VI boots commissioned for Kylian Mbapp. The collective was important. "[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. FIFA put his overall total at . Cristiano, maybe you can guess that he has three or four tricks he would use most of the time, but Ronaldo, it was always something different. 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. [167], At the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo was part of a much-publicized "magic quartet" alongside Adriano, Ronaldinho and Kak. [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. He shifted boundaries, challenged convention, just as much as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have altered our perceptions of what a winger might be. A happening. "[30] Jos Mourinho, who worked as an interpreter at Barcelona, referred to Ronaldo as "the greatest player I have ever seen in my life", adding, "I have no doubts. Did Ronaldo r9 win Champions League? [173] He then broke Mller's record in the Round of 16 match against Ghana by scoring his fifteenth-career World Cup goal. [23][45] By the end of the 199899 season, he was appointed Inter Milan captain. [123][150][151][152] Ronaldo spoke about his obsession with lifting the World Cup trophy, having missed out in 1998. [84] The next game at Siena, on 17 February, Ronaldo scored twice and assisted on a third goal in his first start for Milan, as they won 43. [228], In December 1999, Ronaldo married Brazilian footballer Milene Domingues, at the time pregnant with the couple's first son, Ronald, who was born in Milan, on 6 April 2000. [71][203] According to his physiotherapist Nilton Petrone, Ronaldo was vulnerable to injury due to a medical condition combined with his explosive running. He also represented some of the world's biggest clubs, including Inter Milan and Barcelona. Went from a Wild Idea to a Cult Movie Franchise for Football Fans", "Pitbull Debuts 'We Are One (Ole Ola)' Ft. J.Lo For Brazil World Cup (AUDIO)", "Brazilian Ronaldo Featured In Snickers Campaign", "World Cup 2014: Brazil furious over Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro in Italian football colours", "Pirelli e le metamorfosi della pubblicit", "FIFA 18 to include 95-rated icon Diego Maradona as EA Sports adds footballing legend to Ultimate Team", "FIFA 18 release date and pre-order price info for PS4 and Xbox One in UK", "Nike Celebrates 15 Years Of Mercurial With Recreated '98 El Fenomeno Boot", "Nike Pay Tribute to Iconic Boots Worn by Ronaldo With New Mercurial Puro Fenomeno", "Kylian Mbapp Just Leaked an Amazing New R9-Inspired Nike Mercurial Superfly VI", "Inside the greatest ad EVER: Nike's brilliant 1998 Brazil airport commercial by those who made it", "A lighter shoe, cooler kits, a faster ball, a Secret Tournament every touch counts", "Cantona hosts World Cup with a difference", "Risk everything! "Ronaldo had a problem called trochlear dysplasia. Running through defence to go one on one with Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani, Ronaldo feinted to go right then left, without touching the ball, leaving Marchegiani on his backside, before going right and slotting the ball into the net. He was ridiculously good. [104] Ronaldo responded that playing for Corinthians was the only option open to him. "[219] Mikal Silvestre states, "I played against [Lionel] Messi and I played with Cristiano at Manchester United, but he [Ronaldo] is something else in terms of speed. United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, one of the fastest goals in the club's history, Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year, Trofeo EFE La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year, IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year, Association of Football Statisticians (AFS) Top-100 Players of All Time, International Federation of Football History & Statistics, List of most expensive association football transfers, List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals, "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players: Brazil", "Aps incio pobre em Bento Ribeiro, Ronaldo conquista o mundo", "Brazil's Ronaldo Has the World at His Feet", "The making of O Fenomeno in Brazil: 'It was as if he had come from the moon', "Ronaldo O Fenomeno: Sao Cristovao's greatest son", "Ronaldo: My history & goals can't be erased", "PSV Eindhoven rekindle glory days of Romrio and Ronaldo", "The big interview: Luis Enrique "I'd like to manage in England at some point the fans are faithful", "Ronaldo at 40: Il Fenomeno's legacy as greatest ever No 9, despite dodgy knees", "Ronaldo given route back by Corinthians", "Spain - List of Topscorers ("Pichichi") 1929-2011", "Jose Mourinho: Brazil's Ronaldo is the best player from last 20 years", "Brazilian Ronaldo was simply a phenomenon", "Ronaldo says exits from Barcelona are often ugly for Brazilians", "Ronaldo at Inter Milan: The UEFA Cup, the goals and the injuries the full story of his time in Italy", "Goal O' The Times: Alvaro Recoba vs. Brescia (1997)", "Italy - Footballer of the Year: List of winners", "Brazil legend Ronaldo retires from football", "European Football: Ronaldo's duel with Batistuta", "Djorkaeff's UEFA Cup glory day at Inter", "Ecco l'Inter di Hodgson. How many goals did R9? [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. I have seen il Fenomeno do things nobody else has ever done. [126][127], At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Ronaldo used the name Ronaldinho again, since centre-back Ronaldo Guiaro, two years his senior, was one of his teammates. You just understand when you see quality. He proved that he was a cut above the rest that season. Mentally I wanted to continue but I have to acknowledge that I lost to my body. Actually, at the time, I thought it was some philosophy, something to that effect. Ronaldo's injuries weren't because his body was weak, but because of his explosive capacity. It was a fabulous feeling actually to hold it in my hands and kiss it. 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