Ronaldo stats

Name :-- Ronaldo Luiz Nazario De Lima
Nickname :-- Ronaldo, Phenomenon, Ronaldinho ("Little Ronaldo" in Portuguese), Dadado but never, call him this: he will pretend he didn’t hear. His older brother invented it, Nelio junior, retaking his first attempts at pronouncing his name.
Age :-- 26 years
Height :-- 1,83 M
Weight :-- 83 Kg
Date of birth :-- September 22, 1976
Place of birth :-- Bento Ribeiro in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one of the most poor neighbourhoods of Rio.
His wife :--Milene Dominguese.
His son :-- Ronald Domingues Nazario da Lima, born on April 6th, 2000, 12:30 Pm.
Shoes number :-- 41
Selection number :-- 56
Club :-- Real Madrid
Position :-- Forward
Numbers :-- 20 to 1994, 10 to 1996, 9 to 2002, 11 now
International debut :-- 03/24/94 vs. Argentina, 2-0, substituting Bebeto by people’s proclaim.
First goal in the National :-- May 4th 1994, Brazil-Island 3-0, he was 16 years old, it was his second match with the green and gold shirt.

More details on Ronaldo

Eyes :--Brown
Ronaldo's Religion :-- Catholic
Milene's Religion :-- Buddhism
Familly :-- Dona Sona (mother); Nelio (father); Ione (sister, age 24), Nelio, Junior (brother, 23)
Parents :-- Sonia, waitress in a pizza restaurant, and Nelio a cartographer and then an employee of the Telephone Company, who soon got divorced. It was his mother who took care of him, even though his father was an ex soccer player on the Portuguese and was very faithful with the boy’s capabilities, he lost his job by promoting too much his son.
Mother :-- Didn't want him to play soccer because he wouldn't study
As A Child :-- Was deathly afraid of witches.
Hobbies :-- Sports Cars, Food, playing tennis ...
Sports to watch :-- Basketball
Early Ambitions :-- At age 13, he boldly declared, "I will become the best in the world. I will be rich and help my family."
Athletes :-- Michael Jordan, in basketball ; Pete Sampras, in tennis
Athletes he admired when he was a kid :-- Zico, Brazilian soccer star
Food :-- Spaghetti with tomato sauce
Song :-- La Bella Luna, by Paralamas do Sucesso.
Place to be when not playing soccer :-- On a beach in Brazil
Superstition :-- "I can't pass salt to another person. People say that if you do, you may have a fight with that person in the future."
Advice he ever recieved :-- "Always be a humble person." from my mother
Secret talent :-- I play tennis, and I think I am not too bad.
Values :-- Infinitive by a technical point of view : strong in dribbling, very fast, and has an incredible sense of goal. By the human point of view, success hasn’t changed him:-- available to everyone, kind, polite, never says no, not withstanding the constant siege. How long will it be ?
Defects :-- He doesn’t like to do head kicks. He confessed that he once did pipi in bed. He is very jealous of his girlfriend Susana.
Soccer improvement :-- He started for passion, playing on the streets with his friends with a rag ball, frequently playing truant. Among all his school friends maybe he’s the only one that will not regret the mornings kicking a ball, instead of building himself a future by studying.

They said of him

Pele :-- "Extraordinary. But let’s see if he wins a world championship and then we can compare him to me". "It is happy to see that success doesn't change his character. He's modest, close to family, and he seldom say anything bad about anybody. No matter how tight you mark him, it's impossible to intimidate Ronaldo. I'm his no.1 fan as a Brazilian but you can compare him to me only after he has won the World Cup."
Crujiff :-- "Do not compare him to anyone. He will be great only if he remains himself".
Romario :-- "We together: and Brazil in France ‘98 will be the world champion for the fifth consecutive time".
Capello :-- "A phenomenon, but he has to show it in great matches and against great teams".
Jairzinho :-- "When the ball is between Ronaldo’s feet it’s like the team has already done the half of a goal".
Zagallo :-- "He plays soccer with a boy’s joy and a veteran’s coldness. He will stay till the 2006 World championship". "He is the worthy successor to Pele. He is already the best forward in the world and will get better and better. His speed is incredible. He will rewrite the history books of football."
Giovanni :-- "He is the best goalscorer in the world. It was a pleasure to play with him. He is cutie, never stop smiling. Success will never go to his head."
Bobby Robson :-- "You can't find a player like Ronaldo in anywhere in the world. He is so sensational that he know when to shoot or pass. He can also drop back 40 yards, win the ball and go off on runs taking on whole defences on his own but he is intelligent enough to work with others too."
Linekar :-- "Ronaldo's speed with the ball is something I've not seen before. He can score goals from nothing with this talent."
Cesar Gomez :-- "Marking Ronaldo is the most difficult job I've done in my life. It's like that I've played for a 500 minutes game."
Zubizarreta :-- "Ronaldo can turns every condition into a goalscoring situation all on his own. He creates his goals out of nothing."
Valdano :-- "He is like a player with a Ferrari engine programmed to score. He's so calculating, so overwhelming powerful and so capable of winning games on his own. If he really is a Brazilian, then Brazil is a place for Martian."
Raul :-- "I try to learn from Ronaldo. His explosiveness action that enable him to get rid of defenders so easily is the thing that most impressed me. I'm simply not on his level."
Shearer :-- "Ronaldo is best all-rounded. God only knows what he can achieve in the next few years."
Laurent Blanc :-- "He is as uncontrollable as a ping-pong ball."

They said of him during his rescovery

Chevtchenko :-- We're all waiting for him.
Eriksson :-- I would have liked train him.
Figo :-- He won't give up.
Leonardo :-- His youthfulnessis an asset.
Maldini :-- My strongest opponent with Maradona.
Nevded :-- There is a real lack.
Nesta :-- He made me suffer on the field.
Rivaldo :-- We need him.
Salas :-- A nice guy.
Tardelli :-- Work with him, at last.
Totti :-- Auguri Ronaldo !.
Trapattoni :-- I compare him to Careca.
Vieri :-- I know what he toughen.

Titles won

With Cruzeiro :---- Brazilian Cup (1993), Super Copa Top scorer (1994), Mineiro Championship Top scorer (1994), Mineiro Championship (1994).
With PSV Eindhoven : Dutch Championship Top Scorer (1995), Dutch Cup Top scorer (1996), Dutch Cup (1996).
With Barcelona :---- Spanish Super Cup (1996), FIFA Player of the Year (1996), Spanish League Top scorer (1997), UEFA Cup Winner's Cup (1997), Latin American Player of the Year in Spanish League (1997), European Player of the Year (1997).
With Inter Milan :---- FIFA Player of the Year (1997), UEFA Cup (1998), European Player of the Year (1998), European Forward of the Year (1998), Italian League Player of the Year (1998), Italian League Foreign Player of the Year (1998), UEFA Cup (1998).
With Real Madrid:---- Intercontinental Cup, La Liga Title, Copa Naranja, Super Copa Española.
With Brazil :---- Conmebol U-17 Championship (1991), South American Championship U-19 (1993), FIFA World Cup (1994), UMBRO Cup (1995), Runner-up with Brazil in the Copa America (1995), Bronze medallist with Brazil at the Olympic Tournament (1996), Copa America (1997), FIFA/Confederation's Cup (1997), FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (1998), World Cup France (1998), Best Striker & footballer of World Cup France (1998), Copa America (1999), Champion of Intercontinental Cup (2002), Best European Footballer (2002), Word Cup 2002 (2002), Best Striker & footballer of World Cup 2002 (2002), FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (2002). ESPN best footballer(2003)

Ronaldo goals

1989/1990 Season :-- Social Ramos Club (Brazil) - 8 goals in 12 games.
1990/1993 Season :-- Sao Cristovao (Brazil) - 36 goals in 54 games.
1993/1994 Season :-- Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte (Brazil) - 58 goals in 60 games.
1994/1995 Season :-- PSV Eindhoven (Holland) - 55 goals in 56 games.
1995/1996 Season :-- PSV Eindhoven (Holland) - goals in games.
1996/1997 Season :-- Barcelona (Spain) - 47 goals in 49 games.
1997/1998 Season :-- Inter Milan (Italy) - 25 goals in 30 games.
1998/1999 Season :-- Inter Milan (Italy) - 15 goals in 19 games.
1999/2000 Season :-- Inter Milan (Italy) - 3 goals in 7 games.
2000/2001 Season :-- Inter Milan (Italy) - Knee injury.
2001/2002 Season :-- Inter Milan (Italy) - 7 goals in 10 games.
2002/2003 Season :-- Real Madrid (Spain) - 21 goals in 30 games.

Ronaldo transfers and salaries

Sao Cristavao :-- Transfered for 0 Dollars.
Cruzeiro :-- Transfered for 30.000 Dollars; Ronaldo earns 5.000 Dollars per month.
Psv Eindhoven :-- Transfered for 6.000.000 Dollars; Ronaldo earns 1.000.000 Dollars per month.
Barcelona :-- Transfered for 20.000.000 Dollars; Ronaldo earns 1.500.000 Dollars per month.
Inter Milan :-- Transfered for 30.000.000 Dollars; Ronaldo earns 5.200.000 Dollars per month.
Real Madrid :-- Transfered for 35.000.000 Euros; Ronaldo earns 500.000 Euros per month.

How he bacame Ronaldo

When not much older than a boy, he was rejected from the Flamengo after a casting, not because of technique reasons but because of economic reasons; he was so poor that he couldn’t pay the bus ticket to go train and the society didn’t feel like undertaking such an expense. Later two watchers, Paulo Roberto and Rogerio "Zillo" Correia, brought him to the (youth club), world champion 1970, who did not have economic problems and knew, in fact, how to choose the best opportunities, perceived by intuition Ronaldo’s value and bought his card. For a little more than two million lire. In 1993, when the boy had already conquered the South American title under 17 by making goals with his green and gold shirt, Jairzinho gives 55 per cent of his card to the Cruzeiro di Belo Horizonte. From here on, after participating (without going in the field) in the world championship of 1994, he went to the PSV Eindhoven for about 10 billion lire.

Ronaldo's Favorite

Who is your favorite actress ?-- Demie Moore
Who is your favorite actor ?-- Stallone
Which is your favorite color ?-- Azzurro
Who is your favorite painter ?-- Van Gogh
Which is your favorite woman's name ?-- Ione (quello di sua sorella)
Who is your favorite singer ?-- Roberto Carlos
Which is your favorite month ?-- Settembre
Which is your favorite annimal ?-- My dog
Do you have a dog ? What is its name ?-- Yes, a German Shepherd. Its name is Pichichi (top scorer, in Spanish)
Which is your favorite country ?-- Brazil
Which is your favorite non-Brazilian city ?-- Barcelona
Who is your idol ?-- Zico, international for Brazil
What sports do you like besides soccer ?-- Tennis, ping-pong, basketball, and golf.

Ronaldo's Background

Ronaldo is Brazil´s greatest talent since the great Pele. He started his professional career in the season 90-91, playing for Social Ramos Club. For the next two seasons he played for São Cristovão. In the season 93-94 Ronaldo signed for a first division club in Brazil, Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte. In Cruzerio Ronaldo scored 54 goals in 54 games. Now some great players say "Not even Pele managed that at the start of his career". All big clubs in Europe were interested in the young talent Ronaldo, but PSV Eindhoven got him because another great Brazilian striker Romario told him that PSV is the most professional and best-organized club in Europe. Ronaldo ended his first season in PSV as Holland´s top scorer with 35 goals. On March 24th '94 Ronaldo made his international debut. He replaced Bebeto in the last 10 minutes in a match between Brazil and Argentina. 1996 he signed for Barcelona and he is still playing for Barca. Fifa voted him the best player in the world 1996. Ronaldo remains shy and feels totally embarrassed by comparisons with Pele. Ronaldo played 49 games and scored 47 goals in barca (pretty amazing). 1997 Inter bought Ronaldo for a hugh prize. Ronaldo made a great start in his new club in italy. Ronaldo lives with his girlfriend, model Susanna Werner. His parents separated when he was 14 because of his father´s alcoholism.

Ronaldo's Life

Everybody called him Dadado. At that time, Nelio Junior was only 3 years old. Big and strong, but too young to pronounce the name of his younger brother: R-o-na-l-do, Ronal-do... Mummy that is so difficult! Better to just say Dadado: immediately finding the solution, as only a child can do. Dadado come here, Dadado play with me, Dadado Mummy wants to see you ". Can you imagine it? The Pelé of the year 2000, on the dusty streets of a suburb in Rio; for everyone he was Dadado. Why then doesn’t the whole world know him as Dadado? Mummy Sonia, with bright eyes and a tender smile, never let the arms down. She raised Ronaldo almost alone , after her husband Nelio, employee of the local telephone company, abandoned home and family. "He did not accept beingcalled Dadado" he remembers while imitating the sighs of his son. Family and friends knew him under this name and still today I call him Dadado... But when the Cruzeiro took him on, Ronaldo called us for a meeting, and seriously explained : From now on, that’s enough. I am today a professional football player and my name is Ronaldo. Please, forget Dadado: he doesn’t exist anymore ". He was 16 years old. He became Ronaldinho, because Brazilians adored him. He was almost a son to everyone. The village of Bento Ribeiro, is in the north-west area of Rio de Janeiro. An hour by car from the shopping center. This is where the adventure of Ronaldo begins , some twenty years ago. Houses, old and burned by the sun, are red masonry constructions without doors nor windows, with numerous small playing balls scattered on the streets. The old railway station remains the main meeting place for the villagers. The village of Bento Ribeiro-whos namesake originates from an old monarchical senator-was founded at the end of the eighteenth century, when Don Pedro II ordered the construction of the railroad. Spontaneously houses were erected amidst the red blazing earth and patches of green vegetation. On the village’s outer limits, another well known area, Quintino. Zico was born here, between the cement and the «pelada». Now let’s take a furtive glance at the street. Who are these onlookers in the yellow taxi, notebook in hand asking "Where is Ronaldo’s home? The champion has played here?". Somebody tells them: " Don’t ask too many questions, people think you are with the police". The smile of the boy escapes the suspects. His name is Carlos Pexiotto, 18 years old, 2 years younger than the champion and, hand on heart, declares proudly: " I am a friend of Ronaldo. We played «pelada» together on the street, until the age of 13, then he moved. «Pelada» is football on streets: its name originates from the ball which when rolling over the cement wears out. Barefoot and with scratched knees, is the way Ronaldo began to knock ball after ball.. "It was almost unbearable" tells Carlos laughing. He gathered the boys together and organized games. All free spaces were like football fields for him. Carlos points out a cast iron fence, on General Cesar Obino street, an unknown sloping little street. The main door to a house opens and a boy arrives. He has a dark carnation that seems familiar, a sad smile and wears Psv Eindhove’s blue sweater. Fabio Shine, 19 years old, is the inseparable cousin of Ronaldo. Behind him, the house where the champion was born, on september 22nd, 1976: The yard is barren with tossed soil, a very little house and some trees ( Ronaldo’s favorite being the mango tree and its fruit) . Fabio Shine searches for exact words to share his souvenirs. " We grew up together. Ronaldo was timid and reserved. His lucky break was his encounter with Jairzinho who, having seen him with the San Cristovao team, understood he was more than good and presented him to the Cruzeiro. Then, his trainer Carlos Alberto Chivon helped him to become a champion.

He believed in witches

Timid? Frightened even! Fabio Shine laughs as he remembers the fear of his cousin. "He believed in witches and was frightened by them. He wanted to be protected by his mother. He had his first girlfriend at only 13 years old, her name was Veronica. She was very beautiful, and they were in love, a beautiful couple. She went to see the football games. Ronaldo was not a big boy, he was rather thin, but this was not because he did not eat. " He liked everything: rice dishes, beans and fish were his favorite meals, or even steak and french fries. Each morning, a lot of bread, milk and coffee "Then he would leave to run on the streets. He was already great. But nobody would have imagined Ronaldo becoming number one. I swear it ". Then arrived Edoardo Dudu, 17 years old, another cousin; he also shared his souvenirs with us. "When he left to move to San Cristvao, he left me his sweaters and his pants. Not the shoes, because he did not have any: the game for him was to run barefoot. Football. Footvolley. Footsal. He began playing football at five, first for Valcheri then for the Social Ramos: he was particularly unbeatable in the smaller playing spaces. The house is small, somber, with low ceilings and dirty walls. Behind the door, the logo of a Barcelona team sweater, the number 9. In the living room some armchairs, a sound system and a Christmas tree. A messy kitchen , a bedroom. It still feels like poverty, even if today they know what money and popularity are. Just the amusement park helped the three friends to forget: " Ronaldo liked the roller coaster and, overcoming his fear, he felt himself obliged to enter in the horror tunnel. He did not have money. He had even become a pro at taking the train without a ticket: on the way Ronaldo would dodge out of the chief engineer’s and the controller’s sight as quickly as he did on the field. He would finally arrive in Rio without having paid. He also had another great passion: cars. They were even becoming an obsession. He absolutely wanted to drive so when he was with the Cruzeiro, he bought a car and began to drive even without having his driver’s license (he only got it one year later). What a crazy guy! ".

He’s a lifelong friend

Suzi is a little more than twenty years old and is the mother of a two week old little girl. Jockingly, she gave her a nickname: Ronaldinha. Suzi is also a cousin of Ronaldo’s, the oldest one: she saw him becoming a teenager and then a young man. He liked funky music, Gabriel ' o pensador ', went to dance at the Play House and the Rio Saniba. One day, he decided to learn samba and took lessons at the Salgueiro. At first glance, one rapidly saw that he danced better with a ball between his feet. At the discotheque no whiskey, no cigarettes, only Coca- Cola. The day he left for Holland we were all so sad. Through his phone calls, we understood he was suffering for two reasons. The weather and the food. Then little by little he got used to the climate but never to Dutch cooking. Ever. He even got beans from Rio. Yes, he’s always one of us, the "garoto", the lifelong friend. And when he comes back to Brazil, he comes immediately here, in the old house, to salute us. Then, he goes down the street to play football with friends; does some shopping at the market; goes to the beach and swims with other youths" Football with the Social Ramos became insufficient and too limited for Ronaldo. He was 13 years old and really wanted to go ahead. He told everybody: " I will become the best in the world, I will be rich and I will help my family ". Paulo Roberto and Rogerio" Zillo " Correia, two observers took him to the San Cristvao. It’s a transfer to a new district. In the city at last, he moved to 391 Lopes Ferraz street, in a house where the front wall was covered with posters representing Ronaldo with his green and gold sweater. For the youths of Sao Cristovao, Ronaldo became simply Ronaldo. Giovanni Branchini (who became Ronaldo's agent) began to take care of the boy: he was not a phenomenon yet, but everyone knew how to procced to achieve this goal. San Cristovao is in the vicinity of the imperial palace. There is no depressing atmosphere here as there was at Bento Ribeiro; the houses are cleaner and more decent. Mrs. Yara Homem, Paulo Roberto’s wife, was almost a second mother to Ronaldo and a very close friend of his own mother. " Poor Sonia worked all day long and could hardly take care of her own child. She was preoccupied because Ronaldo did not have any interest in books. He didn’t like to go to school and he tried to escape as soon he got in. Then I became a bit of a spy, I controled him. What scenes between Sonia and her son! For me, Ronaldo was another son, as Tiago who is now 12 years old and who adored him. He blamed me for the Coca-Cola I drank: You are going to be fat " he told me. However he did not deprive himself of Cola! " The great adventure of Ronaldinho does not end here. The San Cristovao was a springboard for the Cruzeiro and the Brazilian championship: professionalism, popularity, 12 goals in 14 games, admiring observers declared: "Even (prénom) Bald, at 16 years old, did not do what he does". The under 15’s, then the under 17’s, the boy is so good he has no time to climb levels one at a time: even moreso with the under 20’s and under 23’s, it was immediately the national A, the convocation for US 94, organized by Romario e Bebeto, the World Cup at 17 years old (without having played a minute) as «O rei». Then at last his first salary and a life that changed unexpectedly.Mummy Sonia is a chatterbox, but is so nice. Up to a few days ago, she lived in the village of Tijuca, a residential district of Rio. She is now at Jacarepaguà, in a new residential complex; in the same zone where they are constructing the Ayrton Senna avenue, close to the velodrome. The new house is surrounded by vegetation and a covered pool. However criminality is always looming. The surveillance is continuous but discreet, the fear of kidnapping is strong. But the desire to speak of her "garoto" is stronger than anything. Mummy Sonia has to confess something: I did not want Ronaldo playing football. By all means I tried to raise that passion as an objection. I could not accept the fact that my son thought only of a ball. What future would he have? I found him playing «pelada» when he was supposed to be at school. I know, I’ve lost my battle, but I am happy thus: I don’t believe it still. Everything happens so rapidly, it’s just great ". Of course, there was someone who believed in that project from the beginning: his Papa Nelio, who nevertheless left the family very early. Mummy Sonia loses the thread of her ideas for an instant. "Ronaldo likes his father so much. When there is a birthday, Nelio is always with us. We are all there, as a whole family. Nelio did everything for Ronaldo: he brings him to the games, defended him when I was angry". On the table in the living room, about ten pictures of Ronaldo. On the walls, close to the television, the most beautiful Dutch newspaper covers. Sonia looks at them, touches them and feels herself close to her Ronaldo. " When he was young, sometimes he discouraged me. He also was a sleepwalker: at night, from time to time, he got up and walked with his eyes closed from one room to another. We had to leave lights switched on, to follow him and to avoid him hurting himself. Then he was frightened by darkness. Of course he went out with his friends in the evening, and before coming into the house he would stop and call me: Mummy, Mummy!" It’s only after I answered and he could see me, that he found the courage to come into the darkness of the house. Yes: the terror of defenders, the best paid player in the world, the new Bald, is a boy like others, very close to his family, simple, an introvert. "Educated and respectful. Quiet when he’s in the presence of strangers. But at home he overflowed with energy and vitality, it was one joke after another: grimaces, tricks, games with children. It was not so easy to live with this fury. " I worked for the ice merchant, from three in the afternoon up to three at night. Twelve hours non stop. Ronaldinho needed somebody to take care of him: luckily my daughter Yone, 4 years older than Ronaldinho, coddled her brother as her own son. And then Nelio junior, who protected him and defended him on the street against more aggressive children ".

The Flamengo did not choose him

Mummy Sonia reminds us of a very painful day. It was in 1990, the Flamengo did not choose the young Ronaldo, and this not because of his poor performance. The problem was money. "He did a trial for them; playing for that team was his dream. Everthing went well but the managers did not accept him: at that time, we still lived in Bento Ribeiro, Ronaldo should have taken the bus to go to training and the Flamengo did not have the money to pay the ticket. A day of misfortune: Ronaldinho came back home crying. " What happened my little boy? ", I asked him. That morning he went to buy his first watch. When he came back, on the train, he met two bad boys who robbed the new watch from him. He cried and cried.It was Martins and Pitta who discovered Ronaldo. In Brazil there is a dictum: "Whoever does not have a sponsor, dies a pagan". It’s the reason why the Flamengo did not choose him: Ronaldo did not know anybody. For these reasons San Cristovao gave him a good reception: Reinaldo Pitta put a lot into Ronaldo’s career, seeking to correct negative sides of the boy who came from a poor family. Otherwise Ronaldo never would have become the champion he is today. He also had another merit: he wanted to work. Not as the other talented Brazilian boys who are great players without being athletes. Ronaldo worked, sweated and trained" After 15 years living in Bento Ribeiro, Eindhoven called Ronaldo to come in Holland. Ronaldo's mother had more fear than he had. " I feared he felt too much alone. When he called me from Eindhoven I understood he had problems. Then I took a plane and left for Holland. I found him a nice new house, I cooked his favorite dishes: especially the «macarro», pasta and sauce. Then he began to eat fish, even though he had hated it in Brazil. I stayed 8 months with him. Now that he’s with the Barcelona team, I would live more in Spain than in Brazil. My Ronaldinho is only 20 years old, he’s still young and needs his mother ".

Identity card

As a professional he began to play for the SociaI Ramos Club in the '90-91 season; the next year he moved to San Cristovao and in ‘ 93 he was transferred to the Cruzeiro di Belo Norizonte ( 54 goals in 54 games). In ‘94, he arrived in Europe to play for the PSV Eindhoven (cost 6.5 millions$ US, 42 goals in 42 presences). This year he plays for the Barcelona team (for 20 millions$ US). Until now, he has scored 13 goals in 18 games between the championship, the Supercup and the Cup of Cups. At 17 years old, he began with Seleao (24 March ‘ 94, Brazil-Argentina 2-0, replacing Bebeto in the last 10 minutes), and scored a goal on his second presence (Brazil-Iceland 3-0, 4 May ‘94) . In 15 games, he scored 9 times plus the 5 goals marked with the olympic team at the Atlanta games. In addition to the World Cup in ‘94 (even though he was a member of the National, he never played), he won the Holland Cup in ‘96 with the PSV ( was second for the championship in ‘95], bronze medalist in Atlanta, and only 20years old for the America Cup in ‘95.

The tecnical point

Brazilian touch but a German physique . By observing Ronaldo in action, one finds in him the mobility of Dl Stefano, the power and the athletic force of Bald, the sprint of Cruijff, the control of the ball displayed by Maradona and the elegance of Van Basten. He also has the elasticity of Eusebio and the dribble of Romario. For the moment, he has one more advantage: he is only 20 years old, and there will always be time to see that we are in presence of the best player ever, by admitting that some comparisons are justified. Ronaldo has whole advantages to mark this period, if we refer to the prototype of the player of the year 2000: a symbiosis between a magician and a Rambo, a player who, with this magic, is able to measure the game by himself, transforming it in an exercise of pure physical forces. With 1.83m high and 75 kg, he grew 3 centimeters in the last twelve months and, according to specialists, his development won’t be completed before another two years. From his Brazilian roots, Ronaldo possesses the technique, the fantasy, the natural of the gesture and especially the neuro-muscular coordination, hence, the rapidity of transmission of a message from the brain to the legs. As for the rest, lungs or for his energy capacity, he seems to be German. When one sees him running on the field, one thinks of a panther that advances to the samba rhythms. Sinuous and devastating. One can say he is a super athlete, with the cyclist’s acceleration, the sprinter’s power and the marathon runner’s resistance. His singular genetics could probably make him a champion in other athletic disciplines. From a tactical point of view, he’s not in fact the typical striker of the penalty area, but he maintains an average of one goal by game.His acceleration and his progression help him to sprint from far and to surprise defensmen. With an extraordinary coordination and a rare skill in his footplay, he can nip in and out around his adversaries, moreover he can outplay them totally by changing the rhythm of his running. He flies, with the ball stuck to his feet: and that is his best advantage. He knows how to play with force, finesse and precision, and what he prefers best is to thwart the goaler and to lead the ball up to an empty net. His only fault, until now, is his head work. But nobody is perfect, not even Ronaldo.

First Steps

Ronaldo was born on the 22nd of September 1976 in Bento Ribeiro, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. He is named after Doctor Ronaldo Valente, who assisted his mother, Sonia dos Santos Barata, during her third delivery. His father, Nelio Nazario de Lima, worked for the telephone company “Telerj”. Ronaldo’s full name was Ronaldo Luiz, but his brother Nelinho and his sister Ione prefer to call him “Dadado”. Curly haired and always smiling, the cute boy “Dadado” becomes the liveliest kid in Rua General Cesar Obino, the street where his family lives. Evidence of the physical coordination is clear from the start as he soon learns how to walk, play and even dance. He didn’t start speaking until he is almost three years old, by which time he’s become fascinated with watching his father playing soccer with friends. From the very beginning, school is just a bit of a nuisance for him. He prefers being outdoors, playing barefoot and dreaming the dream. He wants to become like his idol, Zico. In 1988, Ronaldo joins his first club, Tennis Club Valqueire, where he plays “futebol de salão”. Futebol de Salão, or football indoor, is played with a size 2 ball on a pitch the size of a basketball court. The ball has very little bounce which means that the ball is always on the floor. The game is designed to encourage foot control and is credited with being one reason why Brazilian players are so skillful. Ronaldo starts his first game for Tennis Club Valqueire on the bench where they select him as cover for the goalkeeper. Eventually he plays in the forwards, he likes it. He scores. Ronaldo’s moment happens during a tournament for junior players, when he plays like a comic book hero for Valqueire against the rich Vasco de Gama team. While Ronaldo steers his team to victory, he is seen by a member of Social Ramos, who succeeds in moving the young boy to his own team also if Sonia, his mother, try to resist because the bus trip from Bento Ribeiro to Social Ramos takes two hours each way. It’s still “futebol de salão” though, and Ronaldo, now 11 years old, feels ready for proper soccer. Problems arise when he tries to get into the Flamengo team; but they don’t want him. On the return journey home, a gang of people threaten him on the bus. They steal the watch he had bought with money he had saved from his first few jobs. A day that Ronaldo regrets. As for Flamengo, a chance they will never forget! Ronaldo perseveres. At 13, he plays “futebol de salão” with Social Ramos and soccer with Sao Cristovao. He becomes best scorer in both tournaments and has to choose which path to follow. He decides to focus on Sao Cristovao only. He’s good and he’s getting noticed. His mother would like him to study, but he prefers playing soccer. Finally he gets his big break when he signs for a fee. Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins (who buy him for $7,500 dollars), and the coach of the Brazilian under 17 team. Ronaldo asks for the Nike shoes he’s always dreamt of, and becomes a leading player in the South American junior tournament in Colombia that year. Following that success, Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins get him a better deal, this time, $50,000 dollars and a move to Cruzeiro di Belo Horizonte, a reasonably big club in Minas Gerais, in the centre of Brazil. Far from the beaches in Rio, Ronaldo is growing into the role of being a professional footballer. He’s happy and gets along with the rest of the team. Naturally, he gets homesick and his parents, now separated, come and visit him. They follow his exceptional performances. The pace of progress for Ronaldo accelerates. The local press describe him as incredibly talented. In December 1993, just 17 years old, Ronaldo’s big dream becomes true: he’s asked to join the national team, the green and gold Selecao. He uses part of his first pay cheque to buy a Volkswagen Golf (even if he’s not old enough for a driving licence yet) and help his mum to move out of Bento Ribeiro.

Young Star

When Ronaldo starts playing with Selecao, he’s 17 years old: more or less, the same age as when Pele started too. Another coincidence which links the two players is they both play their first game for Brazil against Argentina. During the most important match in South America, Ronaldo, the boy from Bento Ribeiro plays for the last 10 minutes, replacing Bebeto. He still has curly hair and wears dental braces; he still dreams of becoming the new Zico. They include him in the USA `94 world cup squad. When Parreira, the coach, reveals the final list of 22 players, he includes Ronaldo in the list; a selection that pleases all Brazilians who believe in his talent. Dutch football club PSV Eindhoven considers making a bid, more as an investment than a risky move. With the help of the Italian Giovanni Branchini the club arranges a deal with its Brazilian counterpart and with Cruzeiro. One more coincidence; Ronaldo flies to Europe to the very same club in which Romario started his career. But all this is not enough to be more than a replacement in Selecao. Among the players for the ’94 World Cup, there’s the 29 year-old defender Ronaldo from Sao Paulo. To distinguish the two players with the same name, two jerseys are made: one, for the older Ronaldo, with “Ronaldao” printed on it; the other one, number 18, with “Ronaldinho” written on. The nickname was already widely used by fans and the media, but from that point it became “official”. Talking about Ronaldo’s move Arnesen, general manager of PSV, comments on how regard him as shrewd: “Congratulations for buying Ronaldinho? Thanks, but a talent like that would have been discovered by…my grandma” Ronaldo’s talent is “discovered” also by Nike, who starts sponsoring the young star and all just 12 months after he didn’t even have the money to pay for a pair of Nike boots. But Ronaldo is also paid to be just a replacement player. It happens, when you are 17 years old, and it happens during the World Cup. Even if the media want him to play, it doesn’t affect Parreira who doesn’t change his mind. His mother also fails to exert maternal influence who, during a famous television interview, asks about her son: “Why do you never let that Ronaldinho play?”. Ronaldinho thanks her and without any hint of envy, he keeps following and learning from Bebeto and Romario’s performances. He enjoys the final against Italy and the resultant victory. It’s the fourth World Cup victory in Brazilian history. With the help of a videocamera, he shoots the best moments of the day, when people celebrate and Selecao commemorates Ayrton Senna with a huge sign displayed at the end of the game. From that moment, the European adventure took off. Ronaldo leaves his Brazilian friends and flies to Europe and PSV Eindhoven, where he finds another Brazilian, Vampeta, and a friend, Cesar, who will soon become a kind of brother for him.The Dutch language is difficult. The weather and the cooking are not pleasant either. His friendliest environment is the football pitch. His lucky star shines from day one. He plays and scores. Under the growing attention of the television audience, Ronaldo is not afraid of being compared to the big champions of soccer history, and becomes Best Scorer of the Dutch season. He’s just 18 years old. After one year with PSV Eindhoven and a World Cup seen from the bench, Ronaldo asks to play in the national team for the Copa America. But the coach, Zagalo, says no. Too young. Or perhaps too good?

Sad and Happy

At the end of spring 1995, Ronaldo goes to Milan for two days of holidays and shopping. Journalists and Paparazzi are not following him everywhere yet, so he can meet Massimo Moratti, Inter’s chairman, without any problem. Some months before, Moratti had reached an agreement with Psv Eindhoven: if someone makes an offer to buy Ronaldo, Moratti will have the right to match the offer and make the deal. Even if you are the best player in the world you need a good team for your assets. And luck, and health. During his second year in Holland, Ronaldo is missing all of them. At the end of the tournament, the team is still third, like the previous year. One day the boy from Bento Ribeiro complains about a pain in his knee. “Maybe I just made an awkward movement”, he says to Eindhoven’s doctor. But it’s not like that. He has to stop playing for some days. He tries to go back, but he’s not fit yet. He needs to undergo surgery. His problem, quite common among young athletes, is caused by the combination of hard training and a growth spurt. When he joined PSV, Ronaldo was 1.79 metres tall (five feet ten and half inches), and weighed 75 kg (165 pounds). One year later, he has grown to 1.83 metres (six feet) and added five kilos to hit the 80 kg mark (176 pounds). In February 1996, surgery is performed on his knee. It means four months away from the game. And that means missing the Atlanta Olympic Games! But his old friend Romario finds a solution to the problem by suggesting: “Ronaldinho, go to Filé: you’ll be back earlier than you think”. Filé is Nilton Petrone, an exceptionally good physiotherapist who had helped heal Romario some years before. Ronaldo leaves Eindhoven and flies to File’s clinic for 90 days of intensive physiotherapy. He spend many days between swimming-pool and cyclette. He works very hard and finally comes back in time to play the final of the Dutch Cup. But the coach, Dick Advocaat, perhaps jealous, lets him play only for a few minutes. Despite all his personal sacrifices, Ronaldo is on the bench again. So he decides to leave PSV Eindhoven. Ronaldo goes to the United States for the Olympic Games. His mind is set. Brazil is doing fine; he is playing well. Barcelona is ready to buy him. PSV has to release him. As agreed, they offer Moratti the chance to match the offer. But Inter doesn’t want to pay what seems to be an incredibly high figure of $20 million dollars. Ronaldo joins the Barcelona team. He signs a million dollar contract in the USA, just a few days after the disappointment of the semi-final against Nigeria who go on to win the final. The Brazilian team gets a bronze medal, but the boy from Bento Ribeiro gets a golden contract.Nike has to raise their offer; many international firms are ready to sponsor him. People of all the world like him as a player and as a person. He changes his look, out go the curls as he shaves his head. Kids love him and try to imitate him. Now Ronaldo has a new shirt: the “Barça”, number 9. It sells very well on the stalls and in the shops. “Ronaldomania” begins.

Barca's King

At the Barcelona airport Ronaldo’s supporters wait for him. He travels with his friend Cesar. Photographers take pictures of him kissing the Barca shirt. Like Midas, Ronaldo is expected to turn everything he touches to gold. The first time he plays, that summer, is in the friendly but quite important “Gamper”; the event is followed passionately by the media. His firsts official games in the Spanish Liga, are equally succesful. Ronaldo plays and scores with the true and natural talent of a champion. One of the goals, against Compostela, is fantastic: he starts from midfield where he dribbles past all the opponents at will. The game is followed live; for television stations all around the world it becomes a sort of advertisement for soccer. ‘Ronaldomania’ is at its peak. Even Susana, Ronaldo’s girlfriend, who doesn’t like living in her boyfriend’s shadow, becomes a world star. It’s a wonderful season; Ronaldo’s skill and instinct produce incredible results. He’s able to give happiness to other people. He visits a hospital where children affected by leukemia greet him with enthusiasm. His activities give journalists s quite a lot to write about. They compete in giving him the most original surname (“extraterrestre”, meaning “alien”, is one of the most repeated ones). In order to exploit the Phenomenon to the maximum, three biographies are published during the Christmas period. Nunez, the president of Barcelona, is happy too: Ronaldo’s purchase, even if expensive, gives immediate results. And supporters are certainly happy: the team, at the top of the league, is duelling with Real Madrid in Spain, and playing well in the european tornament Winner’s Cup. It’s a joyful moment for everybody, but not for him. Ronaldo wins the Fifa World Player ’96, beating Weah and Shearer, but he celebrates quietly. When he scores, he never makes funny moves, flashy gestures or big cuddles: he just moves like a little airplane, a gesture which is not aggressive and doesn’t offend the opponents. Soon children imitate it, together with everything else which is Ronaldo; like his bald head and the widely spaced teeth. But the distance between Spain and Brazil is still quite big: in his homeland, Ronaldo is still “Ronaldinho”, the baby champion from Bento Ribeiro. He doesn’t indulge in “saudade”, the typical Brazilian feeling of melancholic nostalgia; but tries to shorten the distance by surfing the web, a hobby he started cultivating in the solitude of Eindhoven. He communicates with friends who are far away, and starts considering the idea of a personal website. Considering that it is the beginning of the year 1997, the idea is really quite new with Ronaldo on the crest of a technology wave. In his private life, like in the field, Ronaldo always suceeds in being a bit ahead of other people; and that is one of his best assets. He now wants to stay in Barcelona: he likes the city, his supporters, and his colleagues. He doesn’t get along with the Barca’s board of management, though. The problem is that, in case he decides to break the contract to go away, someone has to pay 27 million dollars (or 4 billion pesetas): regarded at the time as too high a figure. Or maybe not so high… Ronaldo is Best Scorer (called “Pichichi” in Spain), wins the Winner’s Cup, and, as agreed long time before with the management, expects a salary raise. He doesn’t listen to all the people who are trying to hire him. He wants to stay with Barca. He says it openly on the phone to the Brazilian national team, when he calls them while getting ready for the America’s Cup in Bolivia . But the Barcelona team is not clear enough, they think Ronaldo’s words are part of a bluff. And, they don’t know that someone has made an extremely high offer indeed: Inter.

"Phenomeno"

Since the very first day, Inter falls in love with Ronaldo. 10,000 people wait for him at the club’s headquarters, and another 10,000 are at the Pinetina (the training centre), where Ronaldo is training for the first time. His new shirt number is 10 because number 9 is being used by Zamorano, who’s not very keen on giving it up. But numbers on your back don’t count very much when you have good numbers in the field. 50,000 people go to watch Ronaldo the first time he plays at the San Siro. Even if it is just for a few minutes, and in a friendly game (against Manchester United). All this enthusiasm is not shared by Inter’s opponents. “In financial terms, Ronaldo is not a good deal”, Gianni Agnelli (owner of Juventus), for example, says. But after a few weeks the sale of Ronaldo’s merchandise starts making serious money. The boy from Bento Ribeiro is more than a good deal on and off the field. He plays as well as before, even in a league like the Italian one, which is regarded as the most difficult in the world. One evening, during a game against Piacenza, Ronaldo scores three times. His fans start singing a new name for him: “Phenomeno”. His third score, begins from midfield, and is very similar to the one he made the preceding season against Compostela. He’s a showman either on tv or when he is driving his car where he has made progress. He buys a red Ferrari. The number of prizes he receives is phenomenal too: he makes show in a Fifa friendly match, he wins “Golden Shoe” as best scorer in all European championships of that year (1997), then the “Golden Ball” by the French magazine “France Football”, and the “FIFA World Player” of the year (just before Roberto Carlos, with Denis Bergkamp and Zinedane Zidane in joint third place). His girlfriend, Susana, is modeling for the Milanese fashion shows. With Ronaldo, everything is showbusiness. After one year from the start of his personal website, he celebrates with a live show. And when Ronaldo is playing, his website becomes as busy as the players in the field: some newspapers report peaks of six million people trying to get on line. During the italian championship, he is now competing with Bierhoff for the best scorer title. Juventus is the rival for the “scudetto”. Nobody can stop Ronaldo except with cynical fouls, which are immediately punished by the referees. Apart from one case; the most famous one, during the Juventus vs Inter game, which will decide the Italian championship. The referee’s attitude, clearly in favour of Juventus, is openly criticized. “It was unfair and everybody could see”, he says during an interview. Many Italian referees risk losing their jobs. But the victory goes to Juventus, and Bierhoff is best scorer. Ronaldo doesn’t like being number two at all. He wants a victory and he gets it: in the Uefa Cup against Lazio, after an incredibly entertaining match. In Uefa Cup, from his Swiss beginnings (with Neuchatel) to his Moscow game, he keeps showing his talent in all Europe. And Ronaldo is now ready for the French World Cup in 1998. Four years after the USA victory without really playing, the boy is a global soccer star. He meets the Pope in Rome. His fan base increases around the world. For example, Anna Kournikova asks for his autograph at the Roland Garros stadium. Ronaldo is world famous.

Over the Top

Ronaldo is in Paris. It’s the day of the World Cup final; Brazil reached it easily after beating the Dutch team. It’s one hour before the game, and the coach Zagalo has already decided that Edmundo will play. Ronaldo arrives together with Toledo, Selecao’s doctor. In the silence, everybody looks at them. Ronaldo seems relaxed. He just says three words: “I can play”. And he does. That afternoon he had felt ill. Roberto Carlos, his roomate, had described the illness as a fit, probably due to epilepsy. They had rushed to the hospital for tests. The result: no epilepsy, just a temporary problem. The doctors had said there are no risks for his health if he wants to play. Ronaldo decides to do it, hoping that what happened doesn’t reach the media. But nothing stays private when it is about Phenomenon: too many people around him are eager to be at the centre of the world’s attention. The story of the temporary illness becomes more important than Zidane’s victory, before and after the final itself. Everybody has got an opinion or one piece of gossip to say. Ronaldo’s reaction is a wise one: one month of holiday. He will rest and relax, trying to forget the disappointment of what happened, and the pain he’s starting to feel in his right knee. When he goes back to Italy, he tries to hide from the growing curiosity the accident has caused. Eager to return, he just trains to get back soon. But the pain doesn’t stop. Inter understands that its life depends on Ronaldo’s knee. Now Roberto Baggio has got the number 10 shirt; Zamorano decides for a quite original 1+8, and number 9 goes back to “R9”.The number of coaches alternating on Inter’s bench is quite original too: four different ones during one season. Luigi Simoni is the first one, and he is fired. Mircea Lucescu comes next, and soon resigns. Luciano Castellini tries to do his best, but is replaced by Roy Hodgson, who pays for all the preceeding mistakes and ends up with a series of bad results: Inter is beaten by Manchester and is out of the Champions League; Parma beats them too and puts Inter out of the Italian Cup, the Italian Championship ends with Inter in ninth place only. But Ronaldo’s personal results are not so bad, though: he has played 19 times and has scored 14... practically with one knee only (this year he' at the second place in the "Fifa World Player" ranking, just after Zidane)! So, famous people still try to meet him and have pictures taken with him: from Madonna to Tim Duncan, from Valentino Rossi to Rubens Barrichello, stepping at the Cannes Festival. Never ending invitations, and physical pain. Ronaldo alternates periods of rest with days of hard training; the situation is difficult. Nilton “File” Petrone comes from Brazil to try to fix his famous patient once more. But this time the problems are more difficult to solve: his knee is getting worse and worse, and the pain less and less manageable. Ronaldo is very patient and tries everything. He asks Dr. Saillant, a well known specialist from Paris, if it’s the case of undergoing more surgery. But the doctor suggests not to do it. The pain is very irregular: it comes and goes without any sort of pattern. All this doesn’t stop Ronaldo from winning the America’s Cup with Brazil and from showing his unbelievable talent during the match Barcelona versus Brazil, under the hard training methods used by Luxemburgo, who has now replaced Zagalo. Even if everybody is now talking about the new talent Ronaldinho Gaucho, Selecao’s victory is still due to “R9”: he’s still Best Scorer, and he can still play well under very stressful conditions. The relationship with Susana Werner comes to an end: there was no enthusiasm anymore. A new girl starts to appear next to Ronaldo: Milene Dominguez. She’s a nice and sweet girl who is not interested in getting noticed, but only in being with him. She supports him during the good moments. And she will keep on doing it during the hard times too.

The Big Drama

Inter’s new coach, Lippi, introduces himself with the following words: “I’ll transform this team into a Ronaldo-independent one”. The problem is, that Inter does need the champion. Vieri, who, together with Ronaldo, forms the Dreams Couple, knows it even better. They all need Phenomenon. The start of the season is reasonably good; Ronaldo’s right knee is still painful, but at least he can play. It’s a difficult period and he spends it with Milene, now his fiancee, and his close friends, who support him too. Lippi and Ronaldo don’t get along. The coach is very hard on the champion, like his brazilian collegue Luxemburgo. Incredibly, Ronaldo is on the bench during the first game of the italian championship. Fans watch and wonder how that could happen. But their idol is still able to play really well, and shows it during the derby against AC Milan: thirty wonderful minutes, before the referee sends him off with what is widely regarded as an unfair decision. Ronaldo keeps on winning the hearts of people when he sponsors the foundation Criança Esperança in Brazil. It’s his own way to help children, and he does it with true joy. He is also sent to Kosovo by Onu, and, ignoring security rules, he comes out of a tank to greet people. He feels very close to them and tries to relieve a bit of the pain of the war.Everything seems to go well again, until, during the Inter-Lecce game, Ronaldo’s right knee stops moving. Phenomenon doesn’t want the audience to realize what’s happening, and pretends to have just a slight pain in his ankle. He knows that, this time, his tendon is seriously hurt. He needs more surgery. That means another trip to Paris, to meet with Dr.Saillant. His parents, mom Sonia and dad Nelio, fly from from Brazil. It’s the “de la Pitie Salpetriere” hospital again. There, he shares a very small room with Milene. He is treated exactly like everybody else, even if, under his window, schoolboys are waiting for him, hoping to get an autograph. But security is tight, and fans cannot reach him. The surgery is performed, and the tendon is fixed up once more. Recovery will take 4 months. 100 long days far from the field. There’s nothing else to do, just wait. Ronaldo, during these 4 months, goes to Brazil and marries Milene, who is pregnant. He says to her: “My son will watch me in the field”. He can almost keep this promise. Little Ronald was born on April, 6th, a little before the due date and his father’s return. The prestigious French daily newspaper L’Equipe celebrates the event with one whole page about all his fans who wait for him. On April, 12th Lazio-Inter is broadcast across half of the globe. It’s the final of Italian Cup. According to the tests result and to Dr. Saillant’s opinion, Ronaldo can play for at least 20 minutes. The physiotherapy treatments with Nilton Petrone and Dr. Volpi allow him to do it without any problem. The show has started. Cheers from the audience. Ronaldo starts playing after Mutu has gone out. He starts running, he’s in midfield, everything goes well. He’s dangerous already, so Fernando Couto, from Lazio, kicks him from behind. After six minutes, there’s a good scoring chance: go Ronaldo, go! The goalkeeper worries. There’s a moment of silence, and then... A shout. It’s just a moment; and it’s pain, again. Tears are flowing ; no way to stop them. The audience follows all this live. Millions of people watch Ronaldo being taken off the pitch and leaving the stadium. His childish smile is not there anymore. It’s a grown up man, who, crying, asks himself: “Why me?”

Waiting for Him

Ronaldo’s knee is broken. There’s no possibility of healing just by resting, or with the help of physiotherapy. The big drama is clear. Phenomenon flies from Rome to Milan, and then to Paris. There, at the “de la Pitie Salpetriere” hospital, people are waiting for him. Journalists, cameramen, paparazzi, supporters: everybody is trying to see him, even just for simple curiosity. Ronaldo is walking with crutches and doesn’t know when he will be able to play again. It’s time for his second piece of surgery, this time a difficult operation. Dr. Saillant doesn’t just cut Ronaldo’s tendon: he has to reconstruct the whole part. The total rehabilitation will probably take one year. From his room in the hospital, Ronaldo receives thousands of messages: e-mails, faxes, cards and even presents from his fans and supporters. Watching television, he sees his collegues of Inter wearing a t-shirt with his smiling face printed on, and three simple but moving words: “non mollare” (“don’t give up”).One evening, quite late so that reporters are not around, Zidane goes and visits him in the hospital. It’s the odd moment neither television or press are showing the world what happens, and Zidane hugs Ronaldo. It’s a sign of understanding and a gesture of friendship which shows the relationship between the two. When Ronaldo goes back to his house in Milan, Pele’ goes there to encourage him. He tells him how he had a similar problem too, when he was young. And how he has been able to be back, stronger than before. But all these nice gestures start fading after a while. Then, it’s loneliness, and days spent only with the closest friends: Milene, little Ronald, and Cesar. Ronaldo spends one month in bed, completely unable to move. In front of him, a television showing movies, video games, news and, from time to time, the tape with his best goals. Play. Stop. Rewind. Play again. It’s hard to bear. The first time he talks to journalists again, he tries not to show his feelings; but his smile is forced and sad. He deliberately absolves all the doctors who treated him. “It was nobody’s fault. It was written somewhere”. The healing process is long, boring, tiring. Petrone is working with Ronaldo twice as much as before, and with longer intervals of time between one treatment and the other. Now, in Rio de Janeiro, all days are the same: home and gym, strenuous exercise to be able to extend the movement in his knee, even as little as one more inch. In Brazil, people still like and support him. They still call him Ronaldinho. The President of the Brazilian Republic encourages him too. Eveybody say to him: ”volta!” (“come back!”). Ronaldo is training everyday, apart from just one time, when he has to appear in Court to explain about his relationship with Nike.It happens, when you are a champion. People see secrets and mysteries also when there’s no need for it. Every month Ronaldo goes to Dr.Saillant. In December he travels to the States and stays there for two weeks; then to France, in a lonely place overlooking the sea. Things get better. He can start playing again, and train in the pool or on the sand. In March he plays again, for charity, in the Maracana Stadium. Michael Schumacher and Zico are with him. They end up drinking champagne: a good sign. It’s time to go back to Italy, but without rushing things. The coach, Tardelli, and the President Moratti know they need to wait, and let him play just friendly games at the beginning. When he goes to the Stadium, fans sing again to him the old song, his song: Phenomenon. And Felipe Scolari, the new Brazilian coach, says that the national team cannot play without Ronaldo...

Ronaldo Factlife

September 22, 1976 :-- Born on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.
1989 :-- Aged 12, signs for his first club, Social Ramos.
1990 :-- Signs professional terms for Ramos after being rejected by Rio giants Flamengo.
1991 :-- Moves to second division side Sao Cristovao, where he scored 36 goals in 54 games.
1993 :-- Joins first division Cruzeiro and makes his name in Brazil by scoring 58 times in 60 appearances.
March 1994 :-- Aged 17, makes international debut in a 2-1 win over Argentina.
August 1994 :-- Signs for PSV Eindhoven for a club record 10.8 million guilders ($4.70 million).
1994-1995 :-- Scores three goals in his first two games for PSV and a hat-trick on his European debut. Finishes season as top scorer in the Dutch first division with 30 goals and helps Brazil to the final of the Copa America.
1995-1996 :-- Scores 12 goals in 13 appearances for PSV before succumbing to his first major knee injury. Undergoes operation in February 1996 and returns as a late substitute in PSV's Dutch Cup final victory. Final record for PSV is 55 goals in 56 games.
July 1996 :-- Moves to Barcelona for a world record $19.5 million fee.
1996-1997 :-- Makes an instant impact at Nou Camp, scoring several astonishing goals with rampaging runs from the halfway line. Is named FIFA World Player of the Year and scores Barcelona's winner in a 1-0 victory over Paris St Germain in the Cup Winners' Cup final. Final record for Barcelona is 34 goals in 37 games.
June 20, 1997 :-- Signs a five-year contract with Inter Milan after one of the longest transfer disputes in soccer history. Completes his move on September 8 when FIFA orders Inter to pay an additional $1.8 million to Barcelona, bringing the total fee to a world record $27.9 million.
July 27, 1997 :-- Makes his debut for Inter Milan in a pre-season friendly against Manchester United.
September 14, 1997 :-- Scores his first goal for Inter in a 4-2 league defeat of Bologna. By mid-October he has scored nine goals in eight appearances for his new club.
December 22, 1997 :-- Named 1997 European Footballer of the Year in an annual poll organised by France Football magazine.
January 12, 1998 :-- Named as FIFA's World Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
May 6, 1998 :-- Scores one goal and inspires Inter to a 3-0 win over Lazio in the UEFA Cup final. His final tally in his first season for Inter is 34 goals in 47 matches.
July 12, 1998 :-- Suffers a mysterious illness hours before the World Cup final in France. After first being named as a substitute, he is then included in the starting lineup. He plays badly and Brazil lose 3-0 to France.
October 1998 :-- Inflams tendons in his right knee and is sidelined for a month. Returns to score Inter's winner in a 2-1 defeat of Spartak Moscow in the Champions League.
September 1998 :-- Scores in 2-2 draw in the Milan derby but taken off at halftime with another knee injury. Misses the next three matches. Returns to face Real Madrid in a Champions League match but again breaks down and complains of having a "chronic injury". Inter deny this.
January 1999 :-- Breaks down with injuries to both knees after Inter's away match at Bologna. Misses next 10 matches.
May 1999 :-- Ends the season with six goals in six matches to suggest his problems are behind him. Tally for the season is 15 goals in 26 appearances.

Couldn't let this one die!

Madridista_Galactico originally posted this in the old SP so I brought it back

Enjoy!

Gracias MONKEYS.

I loved reading this! The first real footballer i ever saw.....

Sadly, he isn't that footballer anymore.

I still think his move to Inter, and more particulary to the Serie A ruined his career, defenses aren't as gentle as they are in spain and Ronnie needs freedom to make his play. The calcio was too tactical for him.

He shouldn't have left Barça

His injuries never had anything to do with tough defenses. His problem was that he did more (with his muscles) than his joints could withstand. e.g. changing directions during a full blown sprint...

Anyone has links to information on his injury(ies) ? I have searched once and couldn't find anything. I remember doctors loved it since it was so complicated.

The calcio was "too tactical" for him?!?!?

Reallyyyyyyy... he only nailed 25 gols in around 32 games in his FIRST season at Inter.

Ronaldo, back then, didn't care about the oppositions tactics. He scored on ANY system from within ANY system.

Maybe what you meant to say was that the calcio was too "violent" for him

True that! No matter the circumstances, weather, defenders, fences, barracks, tanks, armies, nuclear weaponry, etc..... This phenom still scored. Not normal goals either, they were always highlight reels!! He bamboozled La Liga & Serie A defences, drove them crazy. I truly believe that the pre-injury Ronaldo was the only player to ever reach the Maradone/Pele type of domination. Simply unstoppable. Very unfortunate for fans like us to have only enjoyed that for four years only. Makes u wonder how good he could have become when he matured. Still, with all his bad luck, knee damage and recuperation... he is the best player of his generation.

Ronaldo always will be the biggest player who the soccer already had!

Ronaldo will end his career in Flamengo as he promised!

Awsome, HUGE, but awsome

FANTASTIC!!! But wheres the rest?

There seems to be a character limit to posts. I can't add anymore that specific post sadly.

I'll split this topic into 2 parts.

One that has achievements and the other for people to discuss it.

Created this part for discussion and additions that need to be added to the pinned section...

For any changes/additions/substractions/etc please go here:

http://www.soccerpulse.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=21678

I love that biography on him. It is actually how I cam to find SP. Founf this post, then went to the rest of the forums.

Thanks a lot monkeys.

Actually, all thanks goes to Madridista_Galactico who put it up in the original SP.

I just saved it from destruction for the new SP.

Gracias Madridista_Galactico!!

OK then...

Gracias Madridista_Galactico!!

October 23, 1999 :-- Scores in the Milan derby but is then sent off for the first time in his career.
June 30, 2002 :-- Ronaldo makes an incredible comeback from years of constant injuries! He wins the World Cup, scoring both gols against fellow finalist Germany. He led all scorers with 8 gols making him the gold boot winner.
December 3, 2002 :-- Ronaldo wins his first Intercontinental with Real Madrid scoring the opening gol in a 2-1 victory against Olimpia of Paraguay.
December, 2002 :-- Ronaldo wins his 3rd FIFA World Player of the Year.
2002/2003 :-- Right after the World Cup, Ronaldo leaves Inter (ITA) and joins Real Madrid (ESP)
2002/2003 :-- In his first full season of football with Real Madrid, Ronaldo is second in the scoring championship with 23 gols.
2002/2003 :-- Ronaldo finally wins a league title with Real Madrid.
September 7, 2003 :-- Ronaldo plays in his first ever World Cup Qualifying match and scores the first gol in Brasil's 2-1 victory over Colombia IN Colombia.
2003/2004 :-- Ronaldo wins the scoring championship in Spain with Real Madrid with 24 gols.

Latest news, I just added to the history of Ronaldo.

Hey Stroking Monkeys in the biography it is written Ronaldo scored 33 goals in 38 games for Barca......was'nt it 34 goals in 37 games........if iam right then you should modify it.

I think I grabbed it from the Ronaldo's official site. I'll doublecheck his site again and will fix it pronto if wrong.

Oh crap!! Ronaldo's web designers are redoing his site! What timing!

http://www.r9ronaldo.com/

For now I'll put in your numbers until his site is back online to confirm.

hehehe, they only blocked the links from the homepage, but the old site is still available.

http://www.r9ronaldo.com/eng/career.html

You're indeed correct! I'll fix it pronto!

Good catch.

The saga continued… This is the conclusion of the biography of one of the greatest players in the history of football, of the fairytale that has been Ronaldo’s carreer, written by me, a dedicated Ronaldo fan. Presented as a complementary follow-up to the official biography on this thread and on the official Ronaldo website - r9ronaldo.com, written fundamentally in the same style, this is my perspective on a legendary career and more importantly, on a man who challenged his own destiny, and won. Enjoy it.

The Return of The King: Part I

As time passes, Ronaldo is becoming more and more eager to play again and keeps working hard to recover quicker from the injury, both in the gym and on the pitch. He even gets together with his teammates, participating in Inter’s training sessions. Meanwhile, the season in Italy is underway, and Inter are among the favourites to win the title. Their aspirations are confirmed, as they are firmly on the top of Serie A. Inter’s fans have other reasons to celebrate as well: Ronaldo’s comeback is getting closer with every day that passes. The date with destiny is set - a special match is organized by Inter against the nigerian club Enyimba just to celebrate the return of The Phenomenon. Ronaldo is ready, and as he steps on the San Siro ground before the kickoff he is cheered on by thousands of fans. In a very emotional atmosphere Ronaldo, with the shirt No. 9 on his back plays well and scores a great goal, and gets congratulations from Vieri, Seedorf and the other teammates and good friends. However, he still has to improve a lot so he could be able to play a competitive match. But the first step has been made. Ronie is confident that he won’t have to wait long for his next game. That is the one against Brasov in the UEFA cup, where Ronaldo substitutes his fellow compatriot Adriano in the last minutes, followed closely by the Italian media and the eyes of the world. That is another good game for R9; he makes good passes, attractive moves and almost even scores a goal in the end! But, the progress he makes in the next months is interrupted by a couple of annoying muscle injuries. Yet, Inter’s new coach Hector Cuper is patient and manages to do well in the League without the Brazilian. And Ronaldo is very optimistic: once he tasted the game again, he wants more!

The season is nearing its end, Inter are in a good position and Ronaldo, despite the setbacks, is an active part of the success: he scored his first official goal after the comeback, vs. Brescia after a combination with Vieri. He continues playing well and scoring goals, including two against Verona, one of which with the typical goalie dribble, showing that he is in fine form before the summer’s World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Inter are fighting with rivals Juve for the scudetto, but the coach Cuper has unfairly decided to keep Ronaldo on the bench in the game vs. Atalanta, and Inter loses. Ronaldo is unhappy, but he respects Cuper’s decisions, although his club suffers. The argentinian coach realizes his mistake and lets Ronaldo play in the next game with, again, Brescia, and Ronaldo wins the game for Inter with a two minute double, after being 1-0 down for 80 minutes. The people in the stands salute the Brazilian maestro, and hope that he will lead Inter to the 14 title in Seria A. Ronie listens and performs briliantly in the next game vs. Piacenza, scoring from a free kick, and helping Inter to maintain the one point lead. There is only one game left, in Rome with Lazio. The match itself is difficult, and although Inter are leading twice, they lost in the end with 4-2. On the other side of Italy Juve won their game, and gained the title. A huge dissapointment for everyone, including Ronaldo who, after being subbed off can’t stop his tears. He knows that a great chance was missed, but he also starts focusing on his next target, the World Cup with Brazil.


The Return of the King: Part II

The Brazilian coach Scolari has shown much enthusasm about including Ronaldo in the Brazil World Cup squad. He even came to Milan to watch the game vs. Brescia directly from the stands and he was delighted from what he saw, repeatedly saying that Ronaldo will have a secure place in the Brazilian team. There is much criticism from the football public for him, the World Cup is not the place to take risks. But Ronaldo ignores the critics, he continues training alone with File in order to be 100% physically fit for the finals, and promises on one occasion that he will be the top scorer of the tournament. And he is serious on that: he shows that immediately in the group round, where he scores the first time - a great, winning goal against Turkey. He continues doing so in the next games, and Brazil are on their way to the finals in Yokohama. Ronaldo is excited: its just like the old days, good plays and goals, in such an important competition. He is already the top scorer! Ronie feels that he has to make amends for the failure at France 98. Scolari’s strategy, with Rivaldo and young star Ronaldinho behind him, and Roberto Carlos and Cafu on the flanks, suits him perfectly. But Scolari knows that Brazil is not just Ronaldo: Ronaldinho is the creator of the victory over England in the quarterfinals, with a magnificent goal from a free kick, but unfortunately he earns a red card and will not be able to play in the semis. Ronaldo comforts his colleague on the opposite side David Beckham after the game and they swap shirts. In the semifinals again the group opponent: Turkey. Ronaldo scored against them once, he will do it again. And he does, with an amazing goal, that has awakened the old memories: Ronaldo passes by three of their defenders and pokes the ball into the net with his toe! “That was a Romario style goal!” he himself stated later. It’s the only goal in the game, the teammates hug Ronie, and Brazil are in the finals in Yokohama.

The Cup is so near, only Germany are in the way. The Brazilians know their oppponents’ strength, but they also know theirs. And one of their biggest strenghts is Ronaldo. It’s a big moment: the ghosts of the WC 98 are all over the place. And they seem to be working in the 1st half, as Ronaldo is overwhelmed with feelings, and seems not concentrated enough on the game. The legendary german keeper Kahn manages to prevent Ronaldo every time he gets close. But there is no room for dissapointment: the result is 0-0 and there is another half to go. And once it begins, the Ronaldo show starts. Ronie is determined not to be second best once again. And then comes the historical moment. He steals the ball from one of the German defenders and plays it to Rivaldo, continuing his run in the box. But Rivaldo decides to fire from outside: his shot goes straight to Kahn, unaccurate, but powerful. And then it happens, the impossible: a mistake of the german goalie! He lets go off the ball, and Ronaldo is there to grasp the chance, to trace the path to glory. The stadium erupts. The Germans are demoralized; there is no way Brazil loses this, it is destiny! Surely they will emerge winners. Ronaldo is in trance. The 80th minute, and he strikes again to seal it: a magnifficent action with Kleberson and Rivaldo that Ronaldo finishes with a placed shot that Kahn can’t stop. The rest is like a dream: the final whistle blows, incredible joy, Brazil are World Champions, Ronaldo is the top scorer with 8 goals, brazilian flags are all over the pitch, everybody are celebrating, Ronie is kissing the trophy. He is the world’s best player again.


The Return of The King: Part III

Ronaldo is living the dream. He takes a deserved rest from the summer. During the holidays he relaxes with his family in Brazil, playing golf and sunbathing. He enjoys reading the articles about the World Cup and about him. He can’t believe it has really happened, but it has, and now it’s time to go back to club football. The transfer period is at full pace, but Ronaldo loves Inter and already has his sight on the new season and the scudetto. But, the World Cup fairytale story has made him interesting for the most glamourous club of all: Real Madrid, whose president Perez wants to include Ronaldo among the “Galacticos”. Ronaldo is flattered, Real is European Champion and has his friends Zidane and Figo in its roster. But he is not tempted to leave the club that was with him through the good and bad times. He returns to Inter’s preseason from the holiday, but the argentinian coach Hector Cuper treats him bad: he is not allowed to train with the team. Cuper claims that is because Ronaldo is in poor form, but it is apparent that he wants to get rid of R9. He showed that the season before, by not letting Ronaldo play in important games. Ronaldo is surprised and angry because of that, and starts considering a move to Spain, remembering the good times he had there. Inter supporters can’t imagine their idol leaving and they blame Ronaldo, not Cuper. Ronaldo is dissapointed, and decides to prevent the club from being the victim of his bad relationship with Cuper. He starts packing as Perez makes a decent offer to Inter. Inter president Moratti accepts it, and Ronaldo is set to sign for the greatest club of all, Real Madrid.

On the last day of the transfer period Ronaldo becomes the new reinforcement for Real, after Zidane and Figo in the past years. He is going to play there as a strike partner to Raul, and one of his closest friends Roberto Carlos is also there. After he passes the medical test he is presented to the press and fans, wearing the number 11, Di Stefano’s number. “I promise the fans I will score 25 goals for Real this season”, he announces to the journalists. Entire Madrid is delirious, and so is Ronaldo. The difficult days of negotiations are over and he starts preparing for his debut. Because of Cuper’s behaviour and the transfer drama, Ronie is given a few weeks period in order to get ready for the first game with Real. Then, finally, the new coach Del Bosque chooses to call Ronaldo for the home game with Alaves. Ronie is on the bench, waiting for his first minutes on the Bernabeu, and everybody is excited to watch him. Again, the decisive moment arrives in the second half: Ronaldo substitutes Guti. The fans didn’t have to wait long for a sensational effect: just one minute after, with one of his first touches Ronaldo controls a cross from Carlos and volleys the ball in to the net. Everyone thinks that is enough. But there are no boundaries for the Phenomenon: he rounds off a counterattack 15 minutes later! Two goals in the debut! The history repeats itself, as Ronaldo earns a standing ovation from the crowd afterwards. Milene and his son Ronald soon arrive from Italy. Everything is perfect for Ronaldo, he adapts quickly and feels good in Madrid. He is still hungry for titles, and the first one comes at the Intercontinental cup in - Yokohama! Ronaldo knows the place well, he won the World Cup there. He scores again in the match against Boca, earning the man of the match title. He is also again chosen as FIFA’s World Best Player. Trophies come fast, both individual and club ones. With such superstars for teammates, like Zidane, Figo, Raul, Roberto Carlos, Michel Salgado…winning is easy. The only trophy that Ronaldo hasn’t reached yet is the Champions League. He makes great effort to win that as well in Real’s jersey, and enjoys great moments, like the hat-trick against Manchester United at their home, “Old Trafford”. But, again Juventus frustrates Ronaldo: an unlucky injury stops him, although he scores in the first leg. Nevermind, Ronaldo shows he is a champion again, leading Real to the 29th title in La Liga, enhanced with his spectacular displays in the end. He fulfulled his promise and scored 30 goals in all competitions. Ronie already guarantees a supply of 35 goals next season, and, as Real will be stronger with David Beckham, he will surely be able to make it…


To be continued.., Expect the last part soon after the World Cup 2006.

I think you will have to wait for the last part until after the 2010 World Cup. From what I heard, Ronaldo wants to break any imaginable record by winning 4 World Cups in 5 tries. The fifth one would be a silver medal. Not too bad for a fat guy like him right...

great stuff!!!!!!!! thanks

Added ... thanks to Dareczec in http://www.soccerpulse.com/forum/index.php...04126&st=30

Personal awards:

- FIFA World Player of the Year 1996, 1997, 2002,
- Second FIFA World Player of the Year 1998,
- Third FIFA World Player of the Year 2003,
- „France Football” European Footballer of the Year ( Ballon d'Or ) 1997, 2002,
- „France Football” Second European Footballer of the Year ( Ballon d'Or ) 1996,
- „France Football” Third European Footballer of the Year ( Ballon d'Or ) 1998,
- „World Soccer” Player of the Year 1996, 1997, 2002,
- Third „World Soccer” Player of the Year 1998,
- „Onze” European Player of the Year ( Onze D’Or ) 1996, 1997,
- „El Pais” European Player of the Year 1996, 1997,
- UEFA European Player of the Year 1998,
- UEFA Best Striker of the Year 1998,
- Rec.sport.soccer Player of the Year 1996, 1997, 2002,
-„Guerin’ Sportivo” European Player of the Year Under 21 ( Bravo Award ) 1996, 1997,
- IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year 1997,
- European Golden Boot 1997,
- World Cup Best Player ( Golden Ball ) 1998,
- World Cup Second Best Player ( Silver Ball ) 2002,
- World Cup All – Star Team 1998, 2002,
- Copa America Best Player 1997,
- Copa America All – Star Team 1997, 1999,
- Confederations Cup All – Star Team 1997,
- UEFA Team of the Year 2002,
- Serie A Best Player 1998,
- La Liga Best foreign player 1997, 2003,
- Serie A Best foreign player 1998,
- World Cup Final Best Player 2002,
- Copa America Final Best Player 1997,
- Intercontinental Cup Final Best Player 2002,
- Cup Winners Cup Final Best Player 1997,
- UEFA Cup Final Best Player 1998,
- Gran Premio de la Academia Francesca de los Deportes 2002
( Ronaldo became the only second footballer to win it, the first one was Pele ),
- „Reuter” Sportsman of the Year 2002,
- BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality 2002,
- „Laureus World Sports” for Comeback of the Year 2003,
- ESPN Footballer of the Year 2002,
- Golden Foot 2006 ( given to players for their achievements, personality, esteem of the public
and football experts. The award is given to players at least 29 years old ),
- Champion of Champions 2008 ( based on votes from fans and TV viewers in Italy, for
1 of 10 previous winners of the annual best player prize ),

……….. and some less important awards, which I’ ve probably missed.

Top scorer & second top scorer awards:

- All-Time World Cup Goalscorer ( 15 goals in 3 World Cups ),
- World Cup Top Scorer 2002 ( 8 goals ),
- Copa America Top Scorer 1999 ( 5 goals ),
- Supercopa Libertadores Top Scorer 1994 ( 8 goals ),
- Campeonato Mineiro Top Scorer 1994 ( 22 goals ),
- Eredivisie Top Scorer 1995 ( 30 goals ),
- La Liga Top Scorer 1997 ( 34 goals ), 2004 ( 24 goals ),
- South American World Cup Qualifiers Top Scorer 2003 – 05 ( 10 goals ),
- Copa America ( U – 17 ) Top Scorer 1993 ( 8 goals ),
- World Cup Second Top Scorer 2006 ( 3 goals ),
- Copa America Second Top Scorer 1997 ( 5 goals ),
- Olympic Games Second Top Scorer 1996 ( 5 goals ),
- UEFA Cup Second Top Scorer 1998 ( 6 goals ),
- Serie A Second Top Scorer 1998 ( 25 goals ),
- La Liga Second Top Scorer 2003 ( 23 goals ).




PROFESSIONAL CAREER STATS :

Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte ( 1993 – 94 ) :
- league: 14 games / 12 goals
- state championship: 18 games / 22 goals
- domestic cup: 5 games / 1 goal
- south american cups: 12 games / 10 goals
copa libertadores: 7 games / 2 goals
supercopa libertadores: 4 games / 8 goals
recopa sudamericana: 1 game / 0 goals
- friendlies: 11 games / 13 goals
TOTAL: 60 GAMES / 58 GOALS

PSV Eindhoven ( 1994 – 96 ) :
- league: 46 games / 42 goals
- domestic cup: 4 games / 4 goals
- european cups: 7 games / 9 goals ( uefa cup only )
- friendlies: 14 games / 12 goals
TOTAL: 71 GAMES / 67 GOALS

FC Barcelona ( 1996 – 97 ) :
- league: 37 games / 34 goals
- domestic cup: 4 games / 6 goals
- domestic supercup: 1 game / 2 goals
- european cups: 7 games / 5 goals ( cup winners cup only )
- friendlies: 2 games / 0 goal
TOTAL: 51 GAMES / 47 GOALS

Inter Milan ( 1997 – 2002 ) :
- league: 68 +1 (extra game – sparreggio pel la copa uefa ) games / 49 goals
- domestic cups: 9 games / 3 goals
- european cups: 22 games / 7 goals ( 6 games / 1 goal – champions league,
16 games / 6 goals – uefa cup )
- friendlies: 15 games / 17 goals
TOTAL: 115 GAMES / 76 GOALS

Real Madrid ( 2002 – 07 ) :
- league: 127 games / 83 goals
- domestic cup: 11 games / 4 goals
- domestic supercup: 2 games / 1 goal
- european cups: 36 games / 15 goals ( champions league only )
- intercontinental cup: 1 game / 1 goal
- friendlies: 11 games / 14 goals
TOTAL: 188 GAMES / 118 GOALS

AC Milan ( 2007 – 08) :
- league: 20 games / 9 goals
- friendlies: 2 games / 1 goal
TOTAL: 22 GAMES / 10 GOALS

Brasil National Team ( 1994 – 2006 ) :
- world cup: 19 games / 15 goals
- copa america: 13 games / 10 goals
- confederations cup: 5 games / 4 goals
- world cup qualifiers: 15 games / 10 goals
- friendlies ( including UMBRO Cup & Tournoi de France ): 45 games / 23 goals
- unofficial: 7 games / 5 goals
- TOTAL: 104 GAMES / 67 GOALS

Brasil Olympic Team ( 1996 ):
- olympic games: 6 games / 5 goals
- friendlies: 2 games / 1 goal
- TOTAL: 8 GAMES / 6 GOALS

Brasil U – 20 : NONE.



PROFESSIONAL CARRER STATS - SUMMARY :

The main point is, if we include club friendlies ( pre season tournaments for example ) & national team unofficials, to pro level games. In Europe , we don’t, but in South America they do. So,

( excluding club friendlies & national team unofficial ):
Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte: 49 games / 45 goals ( 0, 92 GPG )
PSV Eindhoven: 57 games / 55 goals ( 0, 96 GPG )
FC Barcelona: 49 games / 47 goals ( 0, 96 GPG )
Inter Milan: 100 games / 59 goals ( 0, 59 GPG )
Real Madrid: 177 games / 104 goals ( 0, 59 GPG )
AC Milan: 20 games / 9 goals ( 0, 45 GPG )
Brasil National Team: 97 games / 62 goals ( 0, 64 GPG )
Brasil Olympic Team: 8 games / 6 goals ( 0, 75 GPG )
Brasil U – 20: none

TOTAL: 557 GAMES / 387 GOALS ( 0,69 GPG ).

Season by season here ( games / goals )

92/93 5 / 1
93/94 47 / 45
94/95 42 / 36
95/96 30 / 28
96/97 66 / 62
97/98 64 / 44
98/99 36 / 21
99/00 11 / 4
00/01
01/02 26 / 16
02/03 49 / 32
03/04 58 / 37
04/05 53 / 27
05/06 37 / 21
06/07 27 / 11
07/08 6 / 2

TOTAL 557/387


1x +60 goals
2x +40 goals
3x +30 goals
4x +20 goals

So, despite of 4 serious injuries, he played 10 seasons with +20goals, in moden game !


and

( including club friendlies & national team unofficial ):
Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte: 60 games / 58 goals ( 0,97 GPG )
PSV Eindhoven: 71 games / 67 goals ( 0, 94 GPG )
FC Barcelona: 51 games / 47 goals ( 0, 92 GPG )
Inter Milan: 115 games / 76 goals ( 0, 66 GPG )
Real Madrid: 188 games / 118 goals ( 0, 63 GPG )
AC Milan: 22 games / 10 goals ( 0, 45 GPG )
Brasil National Team: 104 games / 67 goals ( 0, 64 GPG )
Brasil Olympic Team: 8 games / 6 goals ( 0, 75 GPG )
Brasil U – 20: none.

TOTAL: 619 GAMES / 449 GOALS ( O,72 GPG ).

Season by season here ( games / goals )

92/93 5/1
93/94 58 / 58
94/95 50/ 44
95/96 38 / 32
96/97 68 / 62
97/98 72 / 50
98/99 36 / 21
99/00 17 / 11
00/01 1 / 2
01/02 29 / 19
02/03 49 / 32
03/04 62 / 42
04/05 56 / 31
05/06 43 / 30
06/07 27/11
07/08 8 / 3

TOTAL 619/449

1x +60 goals
2x +50 goals
2x +40 goals
4x +30 goals
1x +20 goals
So, despite of 4 serious injuries, he played 10 seasons with +20goals, in modern game !




This club friendlies & national team unofficial goals are :
Cruzeiro – Belenenses 2:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 93
Cruzeiro – Penarol 3:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 93
Cruzeiro – Guarani 2:1 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 93
Cruzerio – Flamengo (St.Antônio do Monte) 4:0 ( 4 goals ) ‘ 93
Cruzeiro – Pompeano 4:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 94
Cruzeiro – Jubilo Iwata 3:1 ( 3 goals ) ‘ 94
Cruzeiro – Botafogo 1:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 94
& 4 games with no goals.
TOTAL: 11 GAMES / 13 GOALS

PSV – Helmond Sport 5:1 ( 1 goal ) ’ 95
PSV – Fortuna Sittard 3:2 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 95
PSV – Beveren 1:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 95
PSV – Quick Boys 3:3 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 95
PSV – Elinkwijk 8:1 ( 3 goals ) ‘ 95
PSV – VVV 4:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 95
PSV – De Treffers 7:0 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 96
PSV – Real Madrid 2:2 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 96
& 6 games with no goals.
TOTAL: 14 GAMES / 12 GOALS

Barcelona – 2 games with no goals
TOTAL: 2 GAMES / 0 GOALS

Inter – Pisa 2:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 97
Inter – Fiorenzuola 3:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 97
Inter – Libia 6:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 97
Inter – Como 3:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 97
Inter – MK Marsonia 4:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 97
Inter – Auxerre 3:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 97
Inter – Pero 7:0 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 99
Inter – Pavia 6:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 99
Inter – Borgomanero 5:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 00
Inter – Sant'Angelo 9:5 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 01
Inter – Bormiese 17:0 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 01
Inter – Enymba 7:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 01
Inter – Bastia 4:2 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 01
& 2 games with no goals.
TOTAL: 15 GAMES / 17 GOALS

Real – FC Tokyo 3:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 03
Real – Hong Kong 4:2 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 03
Real – Chiclana 11:0 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 04
Real – Benfica 2:2 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 04
Real – Tokyo Verdy 4:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 04
Real – Júbilo Iwata 3:1 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 05
Real – Comb.Tailândia 3:0 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 05
Real – Trankwalder 4:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 05
Real – Comb.Hungria 3:1 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 05
Real – MLS 5:0 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 05
& 1 game with no goals.
TOTAL: 11 GAMES / 14 GOALS

Milan – Lecco 4:0 ( 1 goal )
& 1 game with no goals
TOTAL: 2 GAMES / 1 GOAL

Brasil – Barcelona 2:2 ( 1 goal ) ‘ 99
Brasil – Selection of Catalonia 5:2 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 04
Brasil – Luzern Selection 8:0 ( 2 goals ) ‘ 06
& 4 games with no goals.
TOTAL: 7 GAMES / 5 GOALS

TOTAL ( CLUB FRIENDLIES & NT UNOFFICIALS ): 62 GAMES / 62 GOALS

OTHERS ( youth ( Sao Cristovao, Brasil U-15, U-17 ), benefites, fifa
selections, unicef games, etc. ) :
116 GAMES / 79 GOALS



OVERALL CARRER GAMES / GOALS

Officials ( clubs + NT ) : 557 games / 387 goals ( 0, 69 GPG )
Clubs friendlies + NT unofficials : 62 games / 62 goals ( 1, 0 GPG )
Others : 116 games / 79 goals ( 0, 68 GPG )

TOTAL: 735 GAMES / 528 GOALS ( 0,72 GPG ).

That’s how complete Ronaldo stats should be !!!
It’s sad that are no websites with his complete stats ! They are full of mistakes,
missing numbers, etc. It’s no a problem if we talking about other great players, mainly from
Europe ( marcovanbasten.net. is a great example ! ). But he is a bigger legend than most of
them and he defenitely deserve it !



I have some interesting things here, guys !

Ronaldo in clubs:
- leagues: 313 games / 229 goals ( 0,73 GPG )
- state championship: 18 games / 22 goals ( 1,22 GPG )
- domestic cups: 33 games / 18 goals ( 0,54 GPG )
- domestic supercups: 3 games / 3 goals ( 1,0 GPG )
- european cups: 72 games / 36 goals ( 0,5 GPG )
- south american cups: 12 games / 10 goals ( 0,83 GPG )
- intercontinental cup: 1 game / 1 goal ( 1,0 GPG )
- friendlies: 62 games / 62 goals ( 1, 0 GPG )
- TOTAL: 514 GAMES / 380 GOALS ( 0,73 GPG )

Ronaldo in leagues:
- campeonato brasileiro: 14 games / 12 goals ( 0, 86 GPG )
- campeonato mineiro: 18 goals / 22 goals ( 1,22 GPG )
- eredivisie: 46 games / 42 goals ( 0,91 GPG )
- la liga: 164 games / 117 goals ( 0,71 GPG )
- serie A: 88 games / 58 goals ( 0,66 GPG )
- TOTAL ( including state championship ): 331 GAMES / 251 GOALS ( 0, 76 GPG )
- TOTAL ( excluding state championship ): 313 GAMES / 229 GOALS ( 0, 73 GPG )

Ronaldo in continental cups ( south american + european ) + intercontinental cup :
- copa libertadores: 7 games / 2 goals ( 0, 28 GPG )
- supercopa libertadores: 4 games / 8 goals ( 2,0 GPG )
- recopa sudamericana: 1 game / 0 goals ( 0,0 GPG )
- champions league: 42 games / 16 goals ( 0,38 GPG )
- cup winners cup: 7 games / 5 goals ( 0,71 GPG )
- uefa cup: 23 games / 15 goals ( 0,65 GPG )
- intercontinetal cup: 1 game / 1 goal ( 1,0 GPG )
- TOTAL: 85 GAMES / 47 GOALS ( 0,55 GPG )

Ronaldo in big tournaments:
World Cup : 19 games / 15 goals ( 0,79 GPG )
Copa America: 13 games / 10 goals ( O,77 GPG )
Confederations Cup: 5 games / 4 goals ( 0,8 GPG )
Olympic Game: 6 games / 5 goals ( 0, 83 GPG )
TOTAL : 43 GAMES / 34 GOALS ( 0,79 GPG ) !

Ronaldo in finals :
2x World Cup: 2 games / 2 goals
2x Copa America: 2 games / 2 goals
1x Confederations Cup: 1 game / 3 goals
1x Intercontinental Cup: 1 game / 1 goal
1x Cup Winners Cup: 1 game / 1 goal
1x UEFA Cup: 1 game / 1 goal
1x Dutch Cup: 1 game / 0 goals
2x Copa Del Rey: 2 games / 1 goal
1x Coppa Italia: 1 game / 0 goals
3x Spanish Super Cup: 3 games / 3 goals
TOTAL: 15 GAMES / 14 GOALS ( 0,93 GPG )
P.S. Ronaldo didn’t play in Brasil Cup Final ( 93 ) & Copa Del Rey Final ( 97 ) !

Ronaldo in „ really big” finals only :
2x World Cup: 2 games / 2 goals
2x Copa America: 2 games / 2 goals
1x Intercontinental Cup: 1 game / 1 goal
1x Cup Winners Cup: 1 game / 1 goal
1x UEFA Cup: 1 game / 1 goal
TOTAL: 7 GAMES / 7 GOALS ( 1,0 GPG )

Ronaldo goals in a single game ( excluding „other” ):
5 goals / game – 1x :
- Cruzeiro – Bahia 6:0 ( campeonato brasileiro, 93 )

4 goals / game – 2x:
- Cruzerio – Flamengo (St.Antônio do Monte) 4:0 ( friendly, 93 )
- PSV – MyPa 7:1 ( uefa cup, 95 )


3 goals / game – 19x:
- Cruzeiro – Colo Colo 6:1 ( supercopa libertadores, 93 )
- Cruzeiro – Jubilo Iwata 3:1 ( friendly, 94 )
- Cruzeiro – Atletico Mineiro 3:1 ( campeonato mineiro, 94 )
- Cruzeiro – Uberlandia 4:0 ( campeonato mineiro, 94 )
- PSV – Bayer Leverkusen 4:5 ( uefa cup, 94 )
- PSV – Utrecht 4:0 ( eredivisie, 95 )
- PSV – Elinkwijk 8:1 ( friendly, 95 )
- PSV – De Graafschap 8:0 ( eredivisie, 95 )
- Brazil – Lithuania 3:1 ( friendly, 96 )
- Barcelona – Valencia 3:2 ( la liga, 96 )
- Barcelona – Zaragoza 4:1 ( la liga, 97 )
- Barcelona – Atletico Madrid 5:4 ( copa del rey, 97 )
- Barcelona – Atletico Madrid 5:2 ( la liga, 97 )
- Inter – Piacenza 3:0 ( coppa italia, 97 )
- Brazil – Australia 6:0 ( confederations cup, 97 )
- Inter – Lecce 5:0 ( serie a, 98 )
- Real – Alaves 5:1 ( la liga, 03 )
- Real – Manchester United 3:4 ( champions league, 03 )
- Brazil – Argentina 3:1 ( world cup qualifiers, 04 )

2 goals / game – 84x
- Cruzeiro – 8x
- PSV – 13x
- Barcelona – 8x
- Inter – 13x
- Real – 23x
- Milan – 3x
-Brazil – 15x
-Brazil Olympic – 1x

1 goal / game – 211x
- Cruzeiro – 21x
- PSV – 25x
- Barcelona – 19x
- Inter – 44x
- Real – 66x
- Milan – 4 x
-Brazil – 28 x
-Brazil Olympic – 4 x


TOTAL:
1x 5 goals = 5 goals
2x 4 goals = 8 goals
19x 3 goals = 57 goals
84x 2 goals = 168 goals
212x 1 goal = 211 goals
449 GOALS

Penalties – 49 goals
- Cruzeiro 9x
- PSV 8x
- Barcelona 7x
- Inter 11x
- Real 7x
- Milan 0x
- Brail 7x
- Brazil Olimpic 0x
31 form 49 penalties he won by himself !

Ronaldo games / goals against great national teams:
Argentina – 6 games / 5 goals
Uruguai – 4 games / 5 goals
Germany – 3 games / 3 goals
Italy – 1 game / 1 goal
France – 4 games / 0 goals
England – 3 games / 1 goal
Spain – 0 games / 0 goals
Portugal – 3 games / 1 goals
Netherlands – 3 games / 1 goal

Ronaldo goals against great clubs :
Flamengo – 1 goal
Botafogo – 3 goals
Sao Paulo – 1 goal
Atletico Mineiro – 3 goals
Boca Juniors – 1 goal
Velez Sarsfield – 1 goal
Nacional – 3 goals
Penarol – 1 goal
Ajax – 1 goal
Feyenoord – 4 goals
Real – 3 goals
Barcelona – 5 goals
Atletico Madrid – 15 goals
Valencia – 9 goals
Milan – 4 goals
Inter – 1 goal
Juventus – 1 goal
Roma – 5 goals
Parma – 2 goals
Lazio – 2 goals
Fiorentina – 4 goals
Manchester U. – 3 goals
Werder – 1 goal
Bayer – 3 goals
Borussia D. – 1 goal
Schalke – 1 goal
Olympique M. – 3 goals
PSG – 1 goal
Monaco – 1 goal
Benfica – 1 goal
Wisla ( hahaha ) – 2 goals.
He never scored against Arsenal ( played 2 games ), Porto ( 2 games ), Lyon ( 2 games ), Bayern Munich ( 1 game ), Corinthians ( 1 game ), Palmeiras
( 1 game ). He never played against Santos, River Plate, PSV, Liverpool, Chelsea, Celtic, Rangers.

He’s the only player ever who scored for both sides in Milan Derby & El Classico !
He scored 11 goals in this events ! :
- Barcelona – Real Madrid 1:0 ( 1 goal ), copa del rey 97
- Barcelona – Real Madrid 3:2 ( 1 goal ), la liga 97
- Inter Milan – AC Milan 2:2 ( 1 goal ), serie a 97
- Inter Milan – AC Milan 3:0 ( 1 goal ), serie a 98
- Inter Milan – AC Milan 2:2 ( 1 goal ), serie a 98
- Inter Milan – AC Milan 1:2 ( 1 goal ), serie a 99
- Real Madrid – Barcelona 1:1 ( 1 goal ), la liga 2003
- Real Madrid – Barcelona 2:1 ( 1 goal ), la liga 2003
- Real Madrid – Barcelona 4:2 ( 1 goal ), la liga 2005
- Real Madrid – Barcelona 1:1 ( 1 goal ), la liga 2006
- AC Milan – Inter Milan 1:2 ( 1 goal ), serie a 2007.

Definitely a „ big games” player !

The last stat is pretty amazing! It will be a long long time before someone matches that one!

SWEEET!