Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima is undoubtedly one of the best players ever in football. If not injured, Ronaldo might be the greatest.
Ronaldo far more orbited as the future star of world football before the era of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Ronaldinho. His adventure in Europe began with the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in 1994.
Ronaldo’s new 18-year performance in his first season immediately invited admiration. Ronaldo’s speed, skill, one-on-one dueling ability, jokes, and mentality are like an anomaly from a young player.
Ronaldo appeared charming and immediately liked by PSV fans. He scored a total of 30 goals in the first season, including a hat trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the 1994/1995 UEFA Cup.
Hattrick who made the Leverkusen attacker and the player who drove the German national team the 1990 World Cup champion, Rudi Voller, was astonished to see Ronaldo’s action.
“Never in my life have I seen 18-year-old players play this way,” Voller praised.
Ronaldo only played two years at PSV. At the age of 20, Ronaldo was recruited by Spain’s top club, Barcelona with a record transfer of US $ 19.5 million. In his first season, young people born in Rio de Janeiro appeared so extraordinary.
From 49 matches, Ronaldo scored 47 goals in all competitions. The Blaugrana escorted Ronaldo to win three titles namely the Cup Winners Cup, the King’s Cup and the Spanish Super Cup.
In that season, Ronaldo also won the El Pichichi title and won the European golden shoe with a score of 34 goals in 37 matches.
The story of Ronaldo in Barcelona only lasted one season because he was named by Inter Milan again through a transfer record. La Beneamata redeemed the player’s contract clause valued at US $ 27 million.
Ronaldo immediately became an idol in Italy and played for five seasons in an Inter shirt. Il Fenomeno or the Phenomenon only gives one title to Inter because his career is even more familiar with injury.
The injury occurred in the third season of the Brazilian star with Inter. Ronaldo suffered a torn right knee tear when Inter won Lecce 6-0 in November 1999.
The injury made Ronaldo had to go up to the operating table and undergo recovery for five months. Ronaldo returned to play in the Coppa Italia final against Lazio on 12 April 2000.
Unfortunately, Ronaldo only played for six minutes. His knee injury recurred without colliding with an opposing player while dribbling into the Lazio penalty box.
As a result of these two injuries, Ronaldo was absent for 521 days until the end of the 2001/2002 season. The time span from 1999 to 2002 was spent more by Ronaldo in the treatment room.
Many predict Ronaldo will be exhausted after two severe injuries that kept him out for a long time. Moreover, after returning to playing in 2002, Ronaldo’s distinctive teases that invite admiration are rarely seen.
Ronaldo play more simple and smart. He no longer relies on speed and shocks that make his right knee twice seriously injured.
How to play is proven to make a career collecting three titles of the world’s best players is quite durable. Ronaldo can still play until 2011 by defending Real Madrid, AC Milan and Brazilian club Corinthians.
Together with Madrid, Ronaldo won three titles namely La Liga, Intercontinental Cup, and Spanish Super Cup. While with the Brazilian national team, Ronaldo won the World Cup twice in 1994 and 2002 and two Copa America titles in 1997 and 1999.
After 10 years of traveling in Europe, Ronaldo returned to Brazil to strengthen Corinthians from 2009 to hang shoes in 2011. Ronaldo also ended his career with three of the world’s best player titles that might have been achieved if he hadn’t been seriously disturbed.
