During the 1990s and early 2000s, there was a Brazilian forward who struck fear into the hearts of even the best defenders in the world. His name was Ronaldo Luís Nazario de Lima, more commonly known simply as Ronaldo.
He also earned the nickname O Fenomeno (‘The Phenomenon’) for his performances and goals.
The forward played for some of European football clubs during an illustrious career, scoring goal after goal and becoming the best forward in the world in his pomp.
A blistering start to his career
Ronaldo was a true wonderkid at his first club, Palmeiras, as by 17 years of age, the forward had scored 44 goals in 47 appearances for the Brazilian team. His goals were enough to earn him a spot in Brazil’s World Cup-winning squad in 1994.
These are impressive stats for a 17-year old.
Now, let me remind you about a guy called Ronaldo Nazario, who left Brazil as a 17-year old with 44 goals in 47 games. And in his first season in Europe, aged 18, he scored 35 goals in 36 games. https://t.co/cMV4iHbMJa
— Slake (@Cerebrone) May 31, 2024
Although he didn’t appear in the USA, he joined Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven after the tournament. Ronaldo continued to be prolific in the Eredivisie, scoring 54 goals in 58 appearances in all competitions.
He won the KNVB Cup with PSV in 1996, having already been the Eredivisie top goalscorer in season 1994/95. His performances once again attracted interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Ronaldo crowned as the best forward in the world
In the summer of 1996, Ronaldo was on the move once more, this time joining Spanish giants Barcelona in a deal worth €15.00m.
Even playing in a higher-standard of league, the Brazilian was lethal in front of goal, scoring 47 goals in 49 competitive appearances.
His goals earned high praise from then-Barcelona boss Bobby Robson, who, talking about the forward, told the New York Times, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player at 20 have so much.”
At that point, the Brazilian had all the attributes of a great striker. He was quick and strong, had good feet, and arguably, most crucially, was a deadly finisher in front of goal.
Unfortunately for the Blaugrana, Ronaldo’s stay in Catalonia was short. After helping the club triumph in the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup, he left the club.
In the summer of 1997, Ronaldo moved to Italian giants Inter for a world-record fee reported to be around $27 million. The move came about after talks to extend his contract at Barcelona collapsed.
Ronaldo was an instant hit in Milan, as he finished as Serie A’s top goalscorer in his debut season by scoring 25 goals. His goals saw him win the Serie A Footballer of the Year.
In his first season, Ronaldo won both the World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or awards. In the international game, the forward helped Brazil reach the 1998 World Cup final, but his side lost to France.
He did get the small consolation of being named player of the tournament, though.
In his second season, he made 28 appearances in all competitions and scored 15 goals. However, the 1998/99 campaign saw a downturn in his fortunes, and he was plagued by injury issues for the next few seasons.
Unfortunately, the forward experienced a knee injury in the Coppa Italia final first leg against Lazio. He lasted just six minutes and ruptured his knee tendons.
The player’s physio at the time said that “his knee-cap actually exploded” and that it was “the worst football injury” he had ever seen.
The injury had a significant effect on Ronaldo’s career, as he missed all of the 2000/01 campaign while featuring just 16 times in the following season, scoring seven goals.
A new lease of life in Madrid
After the torment of the terrible injury, things were looking up for the Brazilian, as his goals helped Brazil to World Cup victory in 2002.
In the summer of 2002, he joined Spanish giants Real Madrid for a fee of €46 million. The sale of his jersey broke records, and Ronaldo once again won the Ballon d’Or.
He was lethal in front of goal in the Spanish capital, where he won his first top-flight title in his debut campaign after scoring 30 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions.
The Brazilian international continued to be prolific over the next few seasons, scoring 31 and 24 goals, respectively. However, his last two campaigns with Real Madrid were once again hampered by injury and weight problems.
In 177 appearances in all competitions, Ronaldo notched an impressive 104 goals. No doubt that figure may have been even more impressive if it had not been interrupted by injuries.
In the 2007 January window, Ronaldo made a €8.5 million move to another Italian giant, Milan. Despite having played for their rivals, Inter, the forward received a warm welcome from the fans of the Rossoneri.
He ended the season with a record of seven goals in his 14 appearances in all competitions. During his time with Milan, he joined the short list of players who have scored for both teams in the Derby della Madonnina.
Unfortunately for the forward, due to more injury issues, he made just six appearances for Milan in his second season with the club, scoring two goals. In the summer of 2008, Milan released Ronaldo on the expiration of his contract.
In December 2009, Ronaldo returned home to Brazil and signed a one-year deal with Corinthians. The move was controversial, as Ronaldo had been training with the club he supported, Flamengo, who were Corinthians rivals. However, according to the forward, he didn’t receive a contract offer in the four months of training with Flamengo.
The forward scored 23 goals in 38 games in all competitions for Corinthians, helping the club win the Campeonato Paulista. Ronaldo signed a contract extension with the club in February 2010 and stated he would retire the following year after the expiration of his contract.
True to his word, Ronaldo retired from football in February 2011. He had enjoyed a playing career that spanned close to two decades.
What could have been without the injuries
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Although Ronaldo had a fantastic career, playing for some of the world’s greatest clubs, there is an element of what could have been if he hadn’t experienced so many injuries.
At the peak of his powers, he was the best player in the world and was, in many senses, the complete forward. However, he was unfortunate not to win the Champions League and won just one domestic title in the European club game.
With today’s player care and medical advances, he may well have enjoyed an even better playing career. Then maybe he would have been one of the names in the discussions of the best footballer ever.
Unfortunately, we will never know, but those who were fortunate to watch Ronaldo throughout his career will testify that when fully fit, the Brazilian forward was quite simply a force to be reckoned with.