Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian former professional soccer player born on September 18, 1976, in Rio de Janeiro. He rose from humble beginnings in a crime-ridden neighborhood, discovering his passion for soccer by playing barefoot with local children. His exceptional talent became evident at an early age, leading him to join a local team and later gain attention from professional clubs. By the time he was seventeen, he had already made a name for himself, becoming a member of Brazil's 1994 World Cup-winning team.
Ronaldo's club career took him across Europe, playing for notable teams such as PSV Eindhoven, FC Barcelona, and Inter Milan. He overcame significant challenges, including injuries and immense pressure, particularly during the 1998 World Cup, where Brazil faced defeat. However, he bounced back triumphantly by leading Brazil to another World Cup victory in 2002, scoring twice in the final. Throughout his career, Ronaldo was celebrated for his remarkable speed, agility, and goal-scoring ability.
After retiring from professional play in 2011, Ronaldo transitioned into football management and ownership, holding positions with clubs like Real Valladolid and Cruzeiro. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, often compared to legends such as Pelé.
Ronaldo
- Born: September 18, 1976
- Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
SPORT: Soccer
Early Life
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on September 18, 1976. His neighborhood, Bento Ribeiro, was notorious for its high rate of crimes, especially homicides, due to drug trafficking. On Ronaldo’s birth certificate, his father registered the date as September 22. Ronaldo, therefore, celebrates his birthday on both the real and the official dates. His father abandoned the family because he abused alcohol and other substances, but Ronaldo had his mother and an older brother and sister to look out for him.
The Road to Excellence
Like millions of young Brazilians, Ronaldo learned soccer with his neighborhood companions, playing barefoot on side streets and vacant lots. A withdrawn boy, Ronaldo found in soccer a world he could dominate. In endlessly kicking and running with his first soccer ball and playing daily, he forged his singular skill for commanding a ball. Having developed powerful, muscular legs, he joined a local soccer team when he was nine years old. At the age of eleven, he scored more than 150 goals in one season.
At thirteen, Ronaldo was invited to test for the Flamengo soccer team, its red and black colors nationally recognized. However, he could not join Flamengo because the team would not pay his bus fare to attend training sessions. Nonetheless, in 1990, he began playing with a Second Division Rio team, São Cristóvão, which provided a house for his family near its headquarters. Ronaldo discontinued his education before graduation.
The Emerging Champion
While playing for São Cristóvão, Ronaldo encountered fortune and fame. In fifty-four games over two seasons, he made thirty-six goals. Ronaldo, a frontline striker, had stunning speed and accuracy. Scouted by agents Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins, Ronaldo entered a ten-year contract with them. The agents gained extraordinary control over his career. Since Ronaldo was a minor, his father signed the contract, not really understanding its contents.
In 1993, Ronaldo joined the Cruzeiro soccer team, in Belo Horizonte, northwest of Rio. The value of his transfer was $30,000, and his monthly salary, $5,000. In the 1993-1994 season, in sixty matches, Ronaldo netted an extraordinary fifty-eight goals.
Continuing the Story
In 1994, Ronaldo became a world star. He was only seventeen. At the beginning of the year, he emerged internationally, on the team playing against Argentina. Though he did not play, he was on the Brazil World Cup team, which won for a record-breaking fourth time.
Ronaldo became a European player. By the end of 1994, he joined the PSD Eindhoven team in the Netherlands. In fifty-six matches over two seasons he made fifty-five goals, becoming the top scorer in the league, while his team won the Dutch Cup. Ronaldo, the former slum boy, gained a seasonal salary of $1 million.
Ronaldo dazzled his growing fans with his extraordinary speed and dominance and his ability to manipulate the ball equally with his right and left feet while advancing with sudden speed. At over six feet tall and weighing 180 pounds, he was much larger than most Brazilians, adding intimidating size to frightening speed.
Traded in 1996 to the Spanish FC Barcelona team for $20 million, Ronaldo obtained a salary of $1.5 million dollars per season. In a season of thirty-seven games, he made thirty-four goals. With his easy smile and shaved head, he was named “Little Buddha.” In 1997, he was traded to Inter Milan, in Italy, for $30 million. His salary surpassed $5 million per season.
The most traumatic year in Ronaldo’s career was 1998. He was the key member of the Brazil team that went to Paris to play in the World Cup. Brazilian fans expected a fifth championship. Ronaldo was deeply affected by the pressure of this sentiment.
While still on the Eindhoven team, Ronaldo had suffered a knee injury. The pain from the injury reappeared during the playoffs and remained for the World Cup. He received medical treatment that affected his attention and control. Besides his physical pain, he endured severe psychological tensions. His teammates were divided and antagonistic. He and his fiancé quarreled. In the final game, France, a team of little reputation, defeated the world-renowned Brazilian team by a score of 3-0. Shamed and humiliated, the Brazilians returned home, receiving the country’s vehement wrath, which fell particularly on Ronaldo. No one knew the background events that had shadowed Ronaldo’s performance.
The following year, Ronaldo married Milene Domingues and returned to play for Internazionale. He led his team to a Copa América victory. His knee was injured at the end of the year, and he was not able to return as an impact player until the World Cup in 2002, where he led the Brazilian national team to its fifth World Cup title. Ronaldo scored two goals in the final game and eight goals in the tournament. His skill and scoring ability made him a popular player with international fans. Following this victory, Ronaldo signed with the Spanish team Real Madrid and scored twenty-one goals in his first thirty games.
In 2006, in Germany, Ronaldo played in his fourth World Cup. He scored three goals during the tournament, giving him an amazing total of fifteen World Cup goals. Despite criticism for his lack of conditioning, Ronaldo was an effective scorer for Brazil. Afterward, he signed with AC Milan, where he suffered another injury at the beginning of 2008. In 2009, Ronaldo returned to Brazil to play for the Corinthians in São Paulo, but after several subsequent injuries and health issues, in February 2011, he announced his retirement from football. He was named in the International Federation of Football History and Statistics's 2021 Men's Dream Team list. In 2021, he became a majority owner and president of Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., and in 2021, he purchased a holding in Cruzeiro Esporte Clube. In early 2024, he sold his stake in Cruzeiro.
Summary
When barely out of his teens, Ronaldo already was described as a Brazilian star comparable to the great Pelé. Ronaldo joined the pantheon of players Brazil has so richly generated. His most prominent skills throughout his career were his speed and agility and his stunning accuracy with the ball.
Bibliography
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"IFFHS All-Time Men's B Dream Team." The International Federation of Football History and Statistics, 22 May 2021, www.iffhs.com/posts/1110. Accessed 20 June 2024.
Lisi, Clemente Angelo. A History of the World Cup: 1930-2018. Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.
Mosley, James. Ronaldo: The Journey of a Genius. Mainstream, 2006.
Orr, Tamra. Ronaldo. Mitchell Lane, 2007.
Paddock, Mark. Ronaldo. Toronto: Firefly Books, 1999.
Phillips, Tom. “Brazil Captivated and Divided by Return of Ronaldo.” The Guardian, 6 Mar. 2009, www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/mar/06/ronaldo-return-brazil-corinthians. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.
Rushin, Steve. “Joy to the World.” Sports Illustrated 88 (June 15, 1998): 112-117.