"[215] On his speed of thought, Kak said "For me the best players are those who are able to think of a play and execute it quickest and in the best way possible, and Ronaldo was the best at that. He, together with Romrio and George Weah, reinvented the centre-forward position. "[93] In 2011, Paul Wilson wrote in The Guardian, "Ronaldo was unlucky in his timing or his choice of club for there is no doubt that at his very best he would have walked into any club in the world. [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. Nothing disturbed him, nothing overawed him, nothing threw him off his game. 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. [13] Under the guidance of coach Alfredo Sampaio, he progressed quickly through the ranks, playing for the clubs' under-17 and under-20 teams while only 15. From that point on he showed he was truly a phenomenon. In terms of total goals, he also has 10 hattricks. Pele now lists his total as 1,283 goals, including his goal haul with Santos. il piacere del calcio", "Ronaldo at Valladolid: Inside the Brazil legend's reinvention", "Ronaldo Lus Nazrio de Lima: A Tribute to O Fenmeno", "Ronaldo la resurrezione diventa un film", "Mercato Juventus, Ronaldo: "Il mio erede e' Leandro Damiao", "Milan, Ambrosini risolve i problemi continua l' inseguimento Champions", "Ibrahimovic: Ronaldo il Fenomeno, non ci sar mai un giocatore migliore di lui", "Mohamed Salah Names 2002 World Cup Winner as Favourite Brazilian Footballer of All Time", "World Cup 2014: England's Wayne Rooney looks to the 'original' Ronaldo for inspiration", "Ronaldo deserves more credit as one of the game's greatest players", "Happy 40th birthday, El Fenomeno! Cristiano Ronaldo has hit the 800-goal mark in his senior career, a feat which he achieved against Arsenal. He began racking up assists, became first-choice penalty taker, taking and scoring freekicks. "[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. "[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. [68][69] During that second season at the club, Ronaldo scored one of the fastest goals in the club's history when he netted after 15 seconds in a league match against Atltico Madrid at the Bernabu on 3 December 2003. He was still a kid. Had he managed to stay free of injury, he had every chance of becoming the best footballer ever. Scored 92 goals in 80 games during the 1981-82 season. [223][224] At his unveiling as the club's new owner at Valladolid city hall, Ronaldo stated, "I have gone through many stages in my training in football to prepare for this. The forward was nicknamed 'Fenomeno' in his playing days and it isn't hard to see why. [41] During his time with Inter, he scored several goals against city rivals A.C. Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. 115 goals Since then, he has become the current all-time record goalscorer for the Portugal national team, and the highest overall men's international goalscorer in history, having scored 115 goals in 184 appearances. [12][17] He came to national public attention on 7 November 1993, scoring five goals in the game against Bahia. Answer (1 of 3): Pele is a retired Brazilian football player, widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time. [6][8] Crediting futsal for developing his skills, Ronaldo has said, "futsal will always be my first love. It was as if he had come from the moon. Ronaldo started his career at Cruzeiro and moved to PSV in 1994. The Portuguese striker scored a penalty kick in the 70th minute to give Manchester United a 3-2 victory. He was the fastest thing I've ever seen running with the ball. "[47] Inter had high hopes going into the 19992000 season with their attack including Ronaldo and Italian stars Roberto Baggio and Christian Vieri. Surprisingly. He proved that he was a cut above the rest that season. [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. [212] Naming Ronaldo as an inspiration, Wayne Rooney stated, "as an out-and-out forward he was probably the best. Ronaldinho played 97 matches and scored 33 goals for Brazil to become the eighth-highest goalscorer in the Selecao's history, finishing his club career with 145 appearances and 70 goals. ", "Ronaldo wins world player award for third time", "Laureus World Comeback of the Year 2003 nominees", "Ronaldo: "I didn't want to leave Real Madrid", "Brazil 3-1 Argentina: Ronaldo hit a hat-trick of penalties as Brazil sank arch-rivals Argentina 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier", "Kaka's spectacular run with Milan and Brazil overshadowed by his successors", "Brazil give magic quartet another chance to shine", "At the 2006 World Cup Ronaldo was jeered for being overweight and too slow", "Japan 1-4 Brazil: Brazil striker Ronaldo became the joint highest scorer in World Cup history as he scored twice against Japan", "Official FIFA Awards: Zidane wins adidas Golden Ball award", "World Cup Rewind: Ronaldo sets all-time goals world record", "World Cup rewind: Miroslav Klose beats Ronaldo's all-time goals record", "Kaka: I prefer Brazilian Ronaldo over Cristiano", "Ronaldo makes emotional farewell appearance for Brazil against Romania", "Ronaldo laughs off misses in his final match for Brazil", "Neymar surpasses Ronaldo as Brazil's second-highest goalscorer", "Ronaldo Lus Nazrio de Lima - Goals in International Matches", "Hamburg to host 2011 Match Against Poverty ", "Blic Sport | Ronalda ne naputa oseaj za gol /video/", "Zinedine Zidane And Ronaldo Reunite For Charity Match", "Match Against Poverty: Brazil's Ronaldo stars", "Didier Drogba to join Ronaldo and Zidane in 12th annual Match Against Poverty", "World Cup 2018: Ronaldo and Robbie Williams star in opening ceremony", "Ronaldo, Romario Reinvented Striker's Role, Says Thierry Henry", "Ronaldo e Batistuta. "However, if we are talking strictly about talent and skill, nobody surpasses Ronaldo [Nazario]. "[81] On 25 January, Ronaldo flew from Madrid to Milan, with statements on the club's website stating Ronaldo was in Milan for a medical, and that a meeting had been arranged with Real Madrid officials to discuss and finalize his transfer to the Milanese club. "[213] The outstanding influence for a generation of strikers, from Karim Benzema to Sergio Agero, with Romelu Lukaku stating "he changed the dimension of a striker" and could "dribble like a winger, run like a sprinter", Zlatan added, "nobody influenced football and the players who emerged as much as Ronaldo".[214]. [125] Another player, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, now widely known as Ronaldinho, was called Ronaldinho Gacho when he joined the Brazil team in 1999. However, he had a rough start at his new club as he scored just nine in 33 appearances in his debut season. [273] In 1998, he featured in a Nike commercial set in an airport with a number of stars from the Brazil national team, including Romrio and Roberto Carlos. [241], In December 2010, Ronaldo and his family moved to a new mansion in So Paulo. [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. We thought a modern construction of his 1998 boot would be a great commemoration of that moment. [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]. "[147], Ronaldo received a number of accolades for his achievement, including the Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year and the BBC World Sport Star of the Year, and in December 2002 he dedicated his third FIFA World Player of the Year award to the medical team which helped him recover. [21] After scoring a hat-trick in PSV's game against Bayer Leverkusen in the 199495 UEFA Cup, Leverkusen striker and Germany World Cup winner Rudi Vller stated in a post match press conference, "Never in my life have I seen an 18-year-old play in this way. Emilio Butragueo stated, "Ronaldo creates a goalscoring opportunity where it doesn't exist. [255] The Maccabiah is described as "the Jewish Olympics"; Ronald is not Jewish, but some participating countries have more relaxed rules about eligibility and Ronald is a member of a Jewish football club. "I understand perfectly, I'm openly a Flamengo fan. The speed of thought he had and the speed he had to carry out his actions were perfect. It was a fabulous feeling actually to hold it in my hands and kiss it. "[12], Spotted by former Brazilian player Jairzinho, who was coaching So Cristvo, Ronaldo played for the So Cristvo youth team. Ronaldo has scored 800 goals. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ronaldo_(Brazilian_footballer)&oldid=1132965679, *Club domestic league appearances and goals, Estadio Ramn Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Estadio Antonio Aranda, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, Supercopa Libertadores Team of the Year: 199394, Campeonato Mineiro Team of the Year: 1994, FIFA Confederations Cup All-Star Team: 1997, This page was last edited on 11 January 2023, at 15:22. Everybody would second that, no matter what club he played for. 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. Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have had longer careers. [33], Comparing his natural ability to Roger Federer, Paul MacDonald of Goal wrote, "there's a joy to be had watching something we know to be extremely difficult executed with considerable ease. [61] He was sidelined through injury until October 2002 which added to the fans anticipation. [29] Ronaldo was at his physical peak at Barcelona, and many of his 47 goals involved him rounding the goalkeeper before slotting the ball into the net. [27], During the 199697 season, Ronaldo scored 47 goals in 49 games in all competitions, with his goal celebration invariably the same with his arms outstretched like the statue of Christ the Redeemer that watches over his native Rio de Janeiro. His individual accolades include being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times and winning two Ballon d'Or awards. Former Germany striker Miroslav Klose tops the charts with 16 goals in. 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. [134], Ronaldo was the last Brazilian player out of the tunnel as the teams entered the field. The ceremony reportedly cost 700,000 (896,000). Ronaldo is the hardest attacker I've ever had to face. called Ronaldo a "phenomenal traitor", and some angry fans burned Ronaldo shirts outside the Flamengo headquarters. [87] Ronaldo's only goals in the 200708 season, besides his goal against Lecce in pre-season, came in a 52 victory against Napoli at the San Siro, where he scored an emotional double. [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. "[162], On 2 June 2004, Ronaldo scored an unusual hat-trick of penalties for Brazil against arch-rivals Argentina in a 2006 World Cup qualifying match, which put them top of the group. [74] Although the knee injuries before 2002 meant he "was robbed of the explosiveness of his early years" (FourFourTwo magazine) by the time he signed for Real Madrid, Ronaldo was named by Marca as a member of the "Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history". [64] Ronaldo scored in a 21 home win over Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, but injury crucially kept him out of most of the second leg defeat where Real were eliminated. [28] He also won La Liga top scorer award in 1997 with 34 goals in 37 games, and the European Golden Shoe. ", Quinton Fortune remembers playing against Ronaldo in the 199697 season. At his fearsome peak for PSV, Barcelona and Inter Milan he was arguably the most dangerous striker the world has ever seen. The collective was important. FIFA put his overall total at . [197], "Ronaldo did things nobody had seen before. Investing 400 million reais ($70 million) in the club, Ronaldo stated he wants to "give back to Cruzeiro and take them where they deserve to be. [44] His Inter teammate Youri Djorkaeff stated; "Ronaldo was phenomenal. Scored 51 goals in 79 games during the 1979-80 season. Their partnership was brief but it was inexplicably brilliant. "Football's Great Heroes and Entertainers". The first time was in 2006-07, when he finished second in voting for the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman. But he could also produce those things while running at an unbelievable, explosive pace. He was so fast he could score from nothing. [25] Speaking to ESPN, Ronaldo stated, "I had reached an agreement to renew my contract just a month before that season finished, but a week later the lawyer and the president of Barcelona agreed that that contract was absurd. "[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. In the league, he scored 84 goals. "[120], Ronaldo made his international debut for Brazil on 23 March 1994 in a friendly match in Recife against Argentina. P. 174. [64], In the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford, knocking the English team out of the competition. "[71] During the 200607 season, though Milan won the 200607 title, Ronaldo was cup-tied with Madrid and ineligible to take part. The Portuguese soccer star has now scored 750 goals in his career, which is the most by any player in history. "[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. "[77] Teammates for six months, Van Nistelrooy said, "Ronaldo was the best natural talent I ever played with. We're now used to seeing Messi dribble past six players, but not then. With this goal, he has now reached the top spot in the all-time list of men's goal scorers. Unfortunately, he suffered a catalogue of serious knee injuries in what many would consider a footballers prime years. At age 17, he was the youngest member of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He was so natural, so cool, so utterly in control. [184] Fred celebrated his goal with Ronaldo's famous 'finger wag' celebration along with his Brazilian teammates. ", After two seasons with Inter, A. C. Milan defender Paolo Maldini viewed Ronaldo and Diego Maradona as the two best players he ever faced, stating, "Ronaldo during his first two years at Inter was a phenomenon. "[33] At the end of 1996, aged 20, Ronaldo became the youngest player to win FIFA World Player of the Year. Ronaldo played for Brazil in 98 matches, scoring 62 goals and is the third-highest goalscorer for his national team. 30th June 2002. It was extraordinary. 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. [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. [268] Nicknamed R9 (his initial and shirt number),[200] Ronaldo is closely associated with the original Nike Mercurial R9 that was designed for him for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. It's an astonishing feat for one of the world's greatest strikers. [63][71][199][208], "I've never seen a player able to show such precise control at such high speed. "[211] Wanting to emulate Ronaldo growing up, Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah opined, "The ability, the speed, the intelligence, he had everything". "[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. [25], During his spell at PSV, Ronaldo attracted the attention of both Inter Milan and FC Barcelona. One of them, a solo goal against Compostela, is considered one of the most amazing goals in football. [175] Brazil, however, were knocked out by France 10 with a goal by striker Thierry Henry in the quarter-finals. [12] Ronaldo's agents in Brazil, Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins, signed him as a 13-year-old. Pitta stated, "We saw right away that he could be something different than most other players. [63][71][209] Sid Lowe of Sports Illustrated wrote, "When he was one on one with the goalkeeper, you knew that he would score. Buffon vale Maradona", "As natural as Federer, Ronaldo in his prime was a true football phenomenon", "Mourinho: Neither Messi nor Cristiano beat Ronaldo Nazario", "Ballon d'Or Dream Team: Xavi alongside Messi and Cristiano", "Ranked! [208] Ronaldo would also operate outside the penalty area before running with the ball towards goal,[63][71] with Rob Smyth writing, "he played like every attack had a 10-second deadline.. he would explode into life with no warning for defenders. 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. "[133], "The way he combined powerhouse athleticism with a poetic touch made for an awesome sight. [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. [134] The starting line up without Ronaldo was released to a stunned world media. ", Ronaldo entered the 1998 FIFA World Cup billed as the world's greatest player by reporters in the sport. "[224], In December 2021, Ronaldo bought a controlling stake in his boyhood club Cruzeiro. [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. [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. [111], In February 2010, Ronaldo signed a contract extension with Corinthians that would keep him with the club until the end of 2011, and said he would then retire. Actually, at the time, I thought it was some philosophy, something to that effect. Kogan Page Publishers. [60] Ronaldo was part of the Galcticos era of global stars signed by the club every summer, which included Zinedine Zidane, Lus Figo, Roberto Carlos and David Beckham. Scored 55 goals in 80 games during the 1980-81 season. [245], In a 2011 interview with the BBC, former Real Madrid teammate Steve McManaman spoke about Ronaldo's personality. Whenever he wanted to turn it on he could, on any stage, in any stadium". "[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.
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