By the age of 23, he had scored over 200 goals for club and country, while also breaking the world transfer record twice. [220] In 2020, Ronaldo was named in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, a greatest all-time XI published by France Football magazine. Nicknamed O Fenmeno ('The Phenomenon') and R9, he is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. Maradona was born on August 4th, 1960 in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. [173] He then broke Mller's record in the Round of 16 match against Ghana by scoring his fifteenth-career World Cup goal. A happening. This victory, for our fifth world title, has crowned my recovery and the work of the whole team. He was still a kid. [25] According to manager Bobby Robson, he signed an eight-year contract, and would play up front alone. 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! [123] He stated he was "overjoyed" at the experience. Pele now lists his total as 1,283 goals, including his goal haul with Santos. He has enormous physical potential. The record Ronaldo has broken relates to FIFA's estimated number of games and goals recorded during their existence as an organization, with the previous record holder Josef Bican scoring an. He invites everybody. How many goals did Pele score in his career? But I was training with Flamengo for four months and didn't receive any offer. "I used to visualise the trophy in front of my eyes and imagine what a wonderful feeling it must be to hold it up in the air. At 21, he received the 1997 Ballon d'Or and remains the youngest recipient of the award. In 1996, Nike signed Ronaldo to a 10-year contract and to a lifetime endorsement deal worth over $180 million. [115][116][117] In an emotional press conference on 14 February, he cited pain and hypothyroidism as the reasons for his premature retirement. At his fearsome peak for PSV, Barcelona and Inter Milan he was arguably the most dangerous striker the world has ever seen. How many goals did R9 scored for Real Madrid? However, especially for famous statisticians in Brazil, the amount of goals scored by Pele is way higher. [61] He was sidelined through injury until October 2002 which added to the fans anticipation. It was a team without any vanity, or individuals. [42] Ronaldo's goal celebrations often saw his Inter teammates congratulating him by kneeling down and pretending to shine his shoe. "[210] The goalscoring idol of Lionel Messi, the Argentine states "Ronaldo was the best striker I've ever seen. In the league, he scored 84 goals. "[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. 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. [125] Another player, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, now widely known as Ronaldinho, was called Ronaldinho Gacho when he joined the Brazil team in 1999. "[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. The Brazilian scored 414 goals in 616 appearances for club and country throughout his career. 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. [6][8] Crediting futsal for developing his skills, Ronaldo has said, "futsal will always be my first love. The girl, born in So Paulo, was named Maria Alice, and was born exactly 10 years after her older brother Ronald. He was selected for the tournament despite being just 17, but did not play in any games. Had he managed to stay free of injury, he had every chance of becoming the best footballer ever. "[20] Rob Smyth added, "In many ways Ronaldo was the first PlayStation footballer. He had spells at AC Milan and Corinthians before retiring in 2011, having suffered further injuries. [28] He also won La Liga top scorer award in 1997 with 34 goals in 37 games, and the European Golden Shoe. He was slim and powerful, skillful, fast and deadly. "I understand perfectly, I'm openly a Flamengo fan. In 2018, Ronaldo's R9 Mercurial boots inspired the Nike Mercurial Superfly VI boots commissioned for Kylian Mbapp. "[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. I called him last evening and told him to believe in himself. [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. It was as if he had come from the moon. Ronaldo starred alongside Romrio, dubbed the Ro-Ro attack, at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, helping Brazil win their first ever Confederations Cup title where he finished as the third-highest scorer with 4 goals, scoring a hat-trick against Australia in the final. "[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. [63][71][199] Nicknamed Il (or O) Fenomeno (the phenomenon),[200] he was a prolific goalscorer, and despite being more of an individualistic attacker, he was also capable of providing assists for his teammates, due to his vision, passing and crossing ability. [269][270] To celebrate 15 years of the boot, Nike created a Mercurial Vapor IX inspired by the 1998 design, with Phil McCartney, VP of Football Footwear for Nike, stating; "Ronaldo's impact on the game 15 years ago was immense, and in the run up to 2014, we wanted to celebrate that boot and the man himself. After 2 operations and 20 months of rehabilitation, Ronaldo managed a comeback during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. "[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. [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. He scored twice in the final and received the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer. [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. [71][201][202] He was an extremely powerful, fast, and technical player, with excellent movement, as well as being a composed finisher. With him, it was a different story. In terms of total goals, Ronaldo has surpassed the records of other legendary players, including Josef Bican and Pele. [90] In 2019, FourFourTwo magazine named him the best player never to win the competition;[91] in 2020, Sky Sports ranked him the secondbest player (after Diego Maradona) never to win the Champions League or European Cup. he said. He won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, starring in a front three with Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. Sheldon Souray's career high in goals scored with the man advantage is 20, which he reached twice during his time with the Dallas Stars. His second goal, a chip over the Santos goalkeeper from 30 yards out, sent the Corinthians fans into hysteria. [124] He was then known as Ronaldinho ("little Ronaldo" in Portuguese), because Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus, his older teammate, was also called Ronaldo and later nicknamed Ronaldo ("big Ronaldo") to further distinguish them. Actually, thinking about it now, one aspect of his game stood out from all of his qualities in my 5-year-old-brain: his ability to score goals. [123][150][151][152] Ronaldo spoke about his obsession with lifting the World Cup trophy, having missed out in 1998. Only Pel, Diego Maradona and George Best can really compare. [236] One of the three attempted to blackmail Ronaldo, while the other two admitted to lying about having sex with him. In his PSG debut season he has scored 28 goals in 30 apps. He also represented some of the world's biggest clubs, including Inter Milan and Barcelona. #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? [183], Ronaldo played for 15 minutes in a match that ended with a Brazilian victory with a goal from Fred. Football is all about passion. Ronaldo Lus Nazrio de Lima (Brazilian Portuguese:[onawdu lwiz nzaju di lim]; born 18 September 1976),[2] commonly known as Ronaldo or Ronaldo Nazrio, is a Brazilian business owner and president of La Liga club Real Valladolid, owner of Brasileiro Srie A club Cruzeiro, and a former professional footballer who played as a striker. [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. [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. [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. He was so natural, so cool, so utterly in control. He did things I'd never seen before. [122] He went to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States aged 17, but did not play as Brazil went on to win the tournament. [12] Ronaldo's agents in Brazil, Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins, signed him as a 13-year-old. "[99] Silvio Berlusconi told Italy's RAI TV, "He fears for his career. How many goals has Neymar scored in his career? In terms of individual goals, he has scored a total of 142 goals, which is the most of any professional footballer. His stepover was a form of hypnosis, and his signature trick, the elastico, could certainly have come from a computer screen. Brazil's Ronaldo greets Pele after receiving his winners medal. [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. "[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. The Black and Yellows hijacked the deal and Lewandowski spent four seasons with Dortmund, scoring a whopping 103 goals across all competitions. [44] His Inter teammate Youri Djorkaeff stated; "Ronaldo was phenomenal. 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. [12] Ronaldo scored 44 goals in 47 games with Cruzeiro, leading them to their first Copa do Brasil in 1993, and the Minas Gerais State Championship in 1994. He was so fast he could score from nothing. [43] Ronaldo scored a trademark goal against Lazio in the 1998 UEFA Cup Final. They were the first to drop from the penalty box to pick up the ball in midfield, switch to the flanks, attract and disorientate the central defenders with their runs, their accelerations, their dribbling. [18] His first senior goal came in a friendly during a tour of Portugal, scoring a goal against Belenenses and generally impressing new coach Carlos Alberto Silva, enough to become a first team regular. The next year, he won the award after recording 21 points (5G/16A) in 38 games. . [21] With PSV, Ronaldo won the Dutch Cup in 1996 and he was Eredivisie top scorer in 1995. [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. Former Germany striker Miroslav Klose tops the charts with 16 goals in. [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. Scored 55 goals in 80 games during the 1980-81 season. Sid Lowe of Sports Illustrated states, "That season Ronaldo was unstoppable. Mentally I wanted to continue but I have to acknowledge that I lost to my body. [265][266], In May 2021, DAZN released the first of a six-part series titled Ronaldo: El Presidente. [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. [25] He led the Catalan side to UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph where he capped the season with the winning goal in the cup final, and to Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espaa wins. [64][65] Reflecting on the ovation given to him from the oppositions' fans, Ronaldo stated that "it remains a very beautiful, very special moment". He, together with Romrio and George Weah, reinvented the centre-forward position. [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. 12 of those goals came during his 14 World Cup appearances,. [134] Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian writes, "In 1998, no one was as ferociously talented as Ronaldo, whose supernatural mixture of power, pace and skill had made him the player every child in the playground wanted to be; at the age of 21, the hopes and dreams of a nation rested on his shoulders. Scored 92 goals in 80 games during the 1981-82 season. 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. called Ronaldo a "phenomenal traitor", and some angry fans burned Ronaldo shirts outside the Flamengo headquarters. [262] It was controversial with the Catholic Church. Scored 51 goals in 79 games during the 1979-80 season. "[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. Answer (1 of 3): Pele is a retired Brazilian football player, widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time. [106] Scoring eight goals in nine matches, his form led to calls for his return to the Brazil national team nearly 70% of respondents in a poll for the O Globo newspaper voted that he should be reinstated, with the country's president Lula also calling for his immediate return. Maria Beatriz Antony gave birth to their first daughter, named Maria Sophia, in Rio de Janeiro, on 24 December 2008. "[134] Adrian Williams, professor of clinical neurology at Birmingham University, said that Ronaldo should not have played, that he would have been feeling the after effects of the seizure, and "there is no way that he would have been able to perform to the best of his ability within 24 hours of his first fit if it was his first fit. [25] The footage of the goal was later used in a Nike advert with a voiceover asking: "Imagine you asked God to be the best player in the world, and he listened to you",[25] and the goal was said to have been replayed 160 times on the main Spanish television channels in the 48 hours following the game. With this goal, he has now reached the top spot in the all-time list of men's goal scorers. [8] Ronaldo's agents accepted an offer of 50,000 from the club, and he scored four goals on his youth team debut. But he could also produce those things while running at an unbelievable, explosive pace. [12], Three months after arriving at Cruzeiro, Ronaldo made his professional debut on 25 May 1993 against Caldense in the Minas Gerais State Championship. He was a perfect physical specimen. [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. He eventually came good, though, and following Gareth Bale's then-record transfer. [145] The parliamentary inquiry was unable to find any wider conspiracy, although the Brazilian public remained unconvinced. He joined Barcelona in 1996 for a then world record transfer fee and at 20 years old, he was named the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year, making him the youngest recipient of the award. [41] During his time with Inter, he scored several goals against city rivals A.C. Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. Then he scored 105 goals in 186 matches for Barcelona from 2013-2017 season. "[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. [145] Reporting for CNN, Don Riddell wrote, "It's one of the great mysteries of our time: not the Loch Ness Monster, Stonehenge or the Lost City of Atlantis; it's the case of the missing striker not so much a whodunit, more a kind of a what the heck happened? [63][71][209] Sid Lowe of Sports Illustrated wrote, "When he was one on one with the goalkeeper, you knew that he would score. [142] Ronaldo later reflected: "We lost the World Cup but I won another cup my life."[135]. [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. Player Profile for Ronaldo in the Soccer World Cups. But he also turned the game so that it will always look just a little bit like him. However, after a series of knee injuries and recuperation, he was inactive for almost three years. Pitta stated, "We saw right away that he could be something different than most other players. He's back to where he was; it's hugely satisfying and I am very moved. [71][203] According to his physiotherapist Nilton Petrone, Ronaldo was vulnerable to injury due to a medical condition combined with his explosive running. Pele scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches, which leaves him joint sixth in the overall World Cup goalscoring charts. [121] His first senior goal for Brazil came on 4 May 1994 in a 30 friendly win against Iceland. He proved that he was a cut above the rest that season. p. 1998. FIFA put his overall total at . [105] Ronaldo scored his first goal for Corinthians on 8 March 2009 in a Campeonato Paulista match against Palmeiras. That is not to belittle Ronaldo's achievements in the second half of his career, when he scored eight goals in a single World Cup [in 2002] and became the first Ronaldo to receive a standing ovation at Old Trafford [in 2003], but it is the memory of the early years that puts mist in the eyes of grown men. [23][25] He signed a five-year contract with the Italians,[36] and was unveiled to 4000 Inter fans at their training ground. "[146], "I've said before that my big victory was to play football again, to run again and to score goals again. He was the fastest thing I've ever seen running with the ball. 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. Check out some more footage of him rounding helpless goalkeepers below. He won successive Bundesliga titles with BVB. [157] Ronaldo was the first player to seek out German players to offer his condolences,[151] before he was congratulated by Pel when receiving his World Cup winners medal.
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