"[20] Rob Smyth added, "In many ways Ronaldo was the first PlayStation footballer. [226][227] Although they never married, they began a long-term relationship and lived together in Milan until the beginning of 1999. He shifted boundaries, challenged convention, just as much as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have altered our perceptions of what a winger might be. He scored twice in the final and received the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer. "[72], "He [Ronaldo] was more talented [than Cristiano Ronaldo] and if he took care of himself like the Portuguese does, his performances would have been even more incredible. More than most, he made that No. The Brazilian soccer legend has updated his Instagram bio to say that he's now the all-time leading goal scorer. [52], Ronaldo was forced to miss the entire 200001 season and much of the two seasons either side of it. Later in 2002, he won the FIFA World Player of the Year award for the third time, and transferred from Inter to Real Madrid. [8][23] His Inter teammate Djorkaeff stated, "when we were training, we would practically stop to watch him. [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. He scored his first. [61] He was sidelined through injury until October 2002 which added to the fans anticipation. [42] Ronaldo's goal celebrations often saw his Inter teammates congratulating him by kneeling down and pretending to shine his shoe. [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. "Football's Great Heroes and Entertainers". "Injuries killed a career that could have been even more incredible, but the talent that that 19-year-old boy had was something incredible. [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". After 2 operations and 20 months of rehabilitation, Ronaldo managed a comeback during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Every time you see a striker who is expected to hold the ball up, beat players, win headers, shoot from range, drop deep, do everything a striker can possibly do it might be worth remembering him. [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. Whenever he wanted to turn it on he could, on any stage, in any stadium". [158] Grard Saillant, the French surgeon who operated on Ronaldo's knee, was in the crowd as his guest, and stated after the game; "This gives hope to everyone who is injured, even those who aren't sportsmen, to see that by fighting you can make it. [5][6] Ronaldo has a brother, Nlio Jr.[6][7] His parents separated when he was 11, and Ronaldo dropped out of school shortly afterward to pursue a career in football. In 2015, Pele posted a tweet claiming that he had scored 1,283 goals during his illustrious 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. What stood out to all of us, from the moment we met Ronnie, was that he could do things which other players found very difficult and make them look easy. [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. ", Quinton Fortune remembers playing against Ronaldo in the 199697 season. He's back to where he was; it's hugely satisfying and I am very moved. "[141] However, shortly before kick off, after pleading that he felt fine and requested to play, Ronaldo was reinstated by Brazil coach Mrio Zagallo. Pele now lists his total as 1,283 goals, including his goal haul with Santos. [43] Ronaldo scored a trademark goal against Lazio in the 1998 UEFA Cup Final. [63][174] With his third goal of the tournament, Ronaldo became only the second player ever, after Jrgen Klinsmann, to score at least three goals in each of three World Cups. ", 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. [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. "[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. [12], Three months after arriving at Cruzeiro, Ronaldo made his professional debut on 25 May 1993 against Caldense in the Minas Gerais State Championship. "[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. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo scored his 15th World Cup goal, a tournament record at the time. 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. "[133], "The way he combined powerhouse athleticism with a poetic touch made for an awesome sight. Check out some more footage of him rounding helpless goalkeepers below. [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. Nothing disturbed him, nothing overawed him, nothing threw him off his game. [241], In December 2010, Ronaldo and his family moved to a new mansion in So Paulo. [81] Capello, who dropped him due to weight issues, commented, "I wish him the best of luck in doing what he used to do which is being a great player. [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. (2005), Goal II: Living the Dream (2007) and Goal III: Taking on the World (2009). "[30] With his combination of speed, skill and finishing Ronaldinho called Ronaldo "the most complete striker there has ever been", a view echoed by Zlatan Ibrahimovi, who stated, "as a football player, he was complete. [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. By the age of 23, he had scored over 200 goals for club and country, while also breaking the world transfer record twice. ", His Barcelona teammate scar Garca observed, "I'd never seen anyone play football with such technical ability, creativity and precision at that incredible speed. [118] He discovered he had hypothyroidism a condition which slows down metabolism and causes weight gain during tests with Milan in 2007. [260][261] Ronaldo's usual goal celebration of both arms outstretched especially from his early career was the basis for Pirelli's 1998 commercial where he replaced the figure of Christ from the Christ the Redeemer statue that towers over his home city of Rio de Janeiro while in an Inter Milan strip. [25], Ronaldo's time at Barcelona lasted one season, as there were problems with the renegotiation of his contract. [49], After his move to Milan, Ronaldo joined the list of the few players to have played for both Inter Milan and A.C. Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, and is one of few players to have scored for both rival teams in the Milan derby game (for Inter in the 199899 season and for A.C. Milan in the 200607 season), the others being players such as Giuseppe Meazza, Zlatan Ibrahimovi, Enrico Candiani and Aldo Cevenini. [242] Also in December, Ronaldo took a paternity test and was confirmed to be the father of a boy named Alexander, born in April 2005. Everybody would second that, no matter what club he played for. So he just had this amazing aura, where everyone wanted to join him. It was a team without any vanity, or individuals. A happening. He did things I'd never seen before. He won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, starring in a front three with Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. [134], Ronaldo was the last Brazilian player out of the tunnel as the teams entered the field. "[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. He was so natural, so cool, so utterly in control. [12] Ronaldo's agents in Brazil, Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins, signed him as a 13-year-old. He's the most spectacular player I've ever seen. [150] Many publications regarded his personal triumph as "redemption" for what occurred at the previous World Cup. [27] Half-way through the season, Barcelona Ronaldo agreed in principle to extend his contract to 2006, doubling his salary in the process. While playing in the Argentine. He was selected for the tournament despite being just 17, but did not play in any games. [53] Since his Inter teammate Javier Zanetti had replaced him as the team captain during his absence, he eventually inherited the captain's armband in late 2001. [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. [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. He was ridiculously good. Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2002 and won the 200203 La Liga title. It was extraordinary. #1 Ronaldo", "Ronaldo: Former Brazil striker buys controlling stake in Real Valladolid", "Ronaldo becomes primary owner of Real Valladolid following takeover", "Former Brazil striker Ronaldo buys second division Cruzeiro", "Descontente com a CBF, Ronaldo pede descanso da seleo", "Brazil's World Cup party can't hide the country's tensions", "Brazil: The ideology of "whitening" and the struggle for a black identity", "Police probe Ronaldo-transvestite incident", "Two of the transvestite prostitutes admit Ronaldo allegations are false", "Ronaldo's family confirms former fiancee's pregnancy", "Ronaldo and Maria Beatriz Antony's new penthouse in So Paulo", "Ronaldo's wife gives birth to another girl", "Alexandre Pato: Ronaldo tried to win me over with Playboy at AC Milan", "Ronaldo moves to a R$ 17 million mansion", "In the newsstands: Everything about the first meeting between Ronaldo and Alex", Antara News: After fourth child, Ronaldo performs vasectomy, "Steve McManaman on retired Brazilian legend Ronaldo", "Ronaldo, Fittipaldi Launch A1 Team Brazil", "Ronaldo Brazilian football legend signs UFC star Anderson Silva as first client in new management agency", "Silva Signs with Soccer Superstar Ronaldo's Marketing Company", "Daily Bagel: Nadal accepts Ronaldo's poker game challenge", "Brazil icon Ronaldo becomes minority owner of Fort Lauderdale Strikers", "Ronaldo Joins Fort Lauderdale Strikers Ownership", "Ronaldo to Open Three Football Schools in China by December", "Soccer legend Ronaldo's son to play in Maccabiah", "Guest Voices Next Season on 'The Simpsons', "How 'Goal!'