Ronaldo nazario videos, ronaldo nazario: a brief biography, club career, international career, awards and achievements, personal life.
Ronaldo Nazario, commonly known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward for the Brazil national team and is known for his time at Real Madrid and Inter Milan . He is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, Ronaldo has been an influence on a generation of strikers that have followed. His individual accolades include being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times and winning two Ballon d'Or awards.
Ronaldo was born on September 18, 1976, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was raised in the Bento Ribeiro neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro and began playing football on the streets as a child. His talent for the sport was evident from an early age, and he joined a local club, Social Ramos, when he was just eight years old.
Despite his talent, Ronaldo faced several challenges growing up, including poverty, illness, and a lack of opportunities. At the age of 12, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, which stunted his growth and made him shorter than other children his age. Ronaldo's family could not afford the expensive treatment, but he was eventually discovered by a local football talent scout, who helped him get his medical treatment.
Ronaldo continued to excel on the football pitch and was eventually signed by the Brazilian club Cruzeiro at the age of 16. He quickly established himself as one of the best young players in the country and was soon noticed by top European clubs. In 1994, at the age of 17, he was signed by the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven , where he began his professional career.
Ronaldo's professional club career began with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands in 1994. He quickly established himself as one of the best young players in Europe, scoring 30 goals in 33 appearances in his first season with the club. He helped PSV win the Eredivisie title in his second season with the club.
In 1996, Ronaldo was signed by FC Barcelona for a then-world record fee of $19.5 million. He had a successful season with the club, scoring 47 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions. However, his time at Barcelona was marred by injuries, and he eventually moved on to Inter Milan. He managed to win the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana during his time there.
Ronaldo spent five seasons at Inter Milan, where he established himself as one of the best players in the world. He won the Ballon d'Or award in 1997 and 2002, and he helped Inter win the UEFA Cup in 1998. He scored 59 goals in 99 appearances for the club.
In 2002, Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid for a world record fee of €46 million. He was an immediate success with the club, scoring 30 goals in his first season and helping Real win the UEFA Champions League in 2003. He won the La Liga title with Real in 2003 and 2007 and scored a total of 104 goals in 177 appearances for the club.
Ronaldo spent one season with AC Milan before returning to Brazil to finish his career. He scored nine goals in 20 appearances for the club and helped them win the Supercoppa Italiana in 2007. He returned to Brazil and represented Corinthians in the final two years of his career from 2009 to 2011. He helped the club win the Campeonato Paulista and the Copa do Brasil in 2009 and the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A in 2011. He retired from professional football in 2011, ending a highly successful club career that spanned nearly two decades.
Ronaldo made his international debut in the 1994 FIFA World Cup for Brazil. Although he did not play in any of the matches, he managed to taste success as Brazil won the competition. His first international goal came against the Netherlands in the 1998 World Cup, when he scored a goal in the 46th minute. He even scored in the penalty shootout goal later in that match.
Ronaldo was the star of the Brazilian team that reached the final of the 1998 World Cup in France. He scored four goals in the tournament, including two in the final against France. However, Brazil lost the final 3-0, and Ronaldo was criticized for his poor performance in the match.
Ronaldo played a key role in Brazil's triumph at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He scored eight goals in the tournament, including two in the final against Germany, and was named the tournament's Golden Boot winner as the top scorer. Ronaldo's performance in the tournament cemented his place as one of the all-time greats of Brazilian football.
He also won two Copa America trophies in 1997 and 1999, as well as the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1997. He scored 62 goals in 98 appearances before retiring from international duty on June 11, 2011, after a friendly against Romania in his home country.
Ronaldo scored 8 goals in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, which is the joint-highest total in a single tournament.
Ronaldo scored 4 goals in World Cup finals, which is the joint-highest total alongside Pelé of Brazil and Geoff Hurst of England.
Ronaldo scored 10 goals in World Cup knockout matches, which is the highest total of any player in history.
Ronaldo scored 34 goals in the 1996-1997 season for FC Barcelona, which is the most goals scored by a foreign player in a single season.
Ronaldo scored 12 goals in the 1997-1998 season in the Europa League for Inter Milan, which is the highest total to this day.
Ronaldo scored 47 goals in the 1996-1997 season for Real Madrid, which is the highest total of any player in the club's history.
Cruzeiro
Campeonato Mineiro: 1994
PSV Eindhoven
KNVB Cup: 1995–96
Barcelona
Copa del Rey: 1996–97
Supercopa de España: 1996
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1996–97
Inter Milan
UEFA Cup: 1997–98
Real Madrid
La Liga: 2002–03, 2006–07Supercopa de España: 2003
Intercontinental Cup: 2002
Corinthians
Campeonato Paulista: 2009
Copa do Brasil: 2009
Brazil
FIFA World Cup: 1994, 2002
Copa América: 1997, 1999
FIFA Confederations Cup: 1997
Summer Olympic Games Bronze Medal: 1996
Individual
Supercopa Libertadores top scorer: 1993–94
Supercopa Libertadores Team of the Year: 1993–94
Campeonato Mineiro top scorer: 1993–94
Campeonato Mineiro Team of the Year: 1994
Eredivisie top scorer: 1994–95
FIFA World Player of the Year: 1996, 1997, 2002
Trofeo EFE La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year: 1996–97, 2002–03
Pichichi Trophy: 1996–97, 2003–04
European Golden Shoe: 1996–97
Don Balón Award La Liga Foreign Player of the Year: 1996–97
Copa América Final Most Valuable Player: 1997
Copa América Most Valuable Player: 1997
FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Boot: 1997
FIFA Confederations Cup All-Star Team: 1997
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 1997
Copa América All-Star Team: 1997, 1999
Bravo Award: 1997, 1998
Ballon d'Or: 1997, 2002
UNICEF European Footballer of the Season: 1996–97
European Sports Media ESM Team of the Year: 1996–97, 1997–98
FIFA XI: 1997, 1998
Serie A Footballer of the Year: 1998
UEFA Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 1998
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 1997–98
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1998
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1998, 2002
FIFA World Cup top assist provider: 1998
Inter Milan Player of the Year: 1998
FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe: 2002
FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 2002
FIFA World Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 2002
Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player: 2002
UEFA Team of the Year: 2002
FIFA 100 (2004)
FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 2006
Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009
Real Madrid Hall of Fame
Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2015
Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2018
Ballon d'Or Dream Team: 2020
Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2018
Marca Leyenda: 2011
Ronaldo is a business owner now and the president of La Liga club Real Valladolid . He is also the owner of Brasileiro Serie A club Cruzeiro.
Off the pitch, Ronaldo has been known for his philanthropic work, particularly through his Ronaldo Foundation, which focuses on providing educational opportunities for disadvantaged children in Brazil. He has also been involved in various business ventures, including owning a stake in the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, a professional football team in the United States.
As of 2023, his net worth is estimated to be around $160 million.
Ronaldo Nazario has a large and close-knit family. He is the youngest of three children, born to Nélio Nazário de Lima and Sônia dos Santos Barata. Ronaldo's older brother, Nélio Jr, was also a professional footballer who played for clubs in Brazil and Japan.
Ronaldo has been married twice and has four children.
His first marriage was to Brazilian footballer Milene Domingues, with whom he has a son named Ronald. They separated in 2003.
Ronaldo's second and current wife is Maria Beatriz Antony, a Brazilian model and television host. They got married in 2008. Together, they have three children: two daughters named Maria Sofia and Maria Alice, and a son named Alexander.
Ronaldo's most well-known property is his sprawling mansion in Sao Paulo, Brazil, named Casa Grande & Senzala. The mansion is located in the upscale neighborhood of Jardim Europa and is worth an estimated $6.2 million. The property features a large swimming pool, a private gym, and a movie theater, among other amenities.
Ronaldo also owns a luxurious apartment in Sao Paulo, located in the prestigious Fasano Hotel building. The apartment has three bedrooms and features panoramic views of the city.
Ronaldo purchased a luxurious apartment in New York City's Trump Tower in 2015 for an estimated $18.5 million. The apartment has three bedrooms, a private elevator, and views of Central Park.
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Ronaldo Fenomeno’s rise in Brazil: ‘It was as if he’d come from the moon’
On a warm, spring afternoon at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte in November 1993, with Bahia’s away game against Cruzeiro in the Campeonato Brasileiro drawing to an end, Bahia goalkeeper Rodolfo Rodriguez knelt on the grass in his six-yard box, placed the ball on the floor, put his hands on his head and looked to the skies.
Rodriguez, an experienced Uruguay international, had already conceded five. Having just saved his side from a sixth, his gesture was a lament aimed at his fragile defence and a plea for mercy from the heavens.
Yet as he released the ball, there was one thing he had not accounted for. The 16-year-old boy stood a few steps behind him was not one for clemency. That boy had one thing on his mind and one alone: scoring goals. Rodriguez reached down, but the second the ball was unattended had been long enough. The goalkeeper grasped at thin air; it was gone.
With two long side steps, the adolescent in the dazzling blue shirt had nipped in. With his first touch, he had taken it away. With his second, he had poked it into the back of the empty net. Rodriguez stood up and appealed for some imaginary infringement, but it was too late. The embarrassment had already been inflicted.
Menino Ronaldo , the child soon to be the Fenomeno , had scored his fifth of the afternoon and Cruzeiro’s sixth.
“ Ronaldo was a forward who was always paying attention to everything, he never gave up,” Rodriguez told Superesportes years later. Rodriguez found that out the hard way, and with Ronaldo’s eviscerating performance in that game, Brazil had woken up to the fact, too.
The next day, the newspapers in Belo Horizonte featured the grinning, buck-toothed teenager on their front and back covers and several of the pages in between. In Hoje em Dia, the headline read: ‘ Brasil se curva aos pes do Ronaldo ’ – ‘Brazil bows down at Ronaldo’s feet.’
Later that month, the teenage striker was called up to the Brazil squad for the very first time. The following year, he went on to win his first senior club silverware, was part of the Brazil squad that lifted the World Cup in Pasadena and earned himself a big-money move to PSV Eindhoven. But that game against Bahia is etched onto the Brazilian collective conscience as the moment Ronaldo announced himself as a superstar of the future.
The rise had been vertiginous, the time between anonymity and national fame flying past like Ronaldo flew past defenders with the ball at his feet. Ronaldo had only really taken his first step towards becoming a professional footballer three years prior to scoring five against Bahia in front of several thousand people in the ground and many more watching on television.
Sao Cristovao
Ronaldo had always roamed the streets of Rio de Janeiro with a ball at his feet and, from the age of 12, he played for a futsal side called Clube Social Ramos. In his first season with the club, he took the local league by storm, scoring a record 166 goals.
But he had not played organised, 11-a-side football until he was 14, when he and his friend Alexandre Calango were taken in by Sao Cristovao, a club from the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood of the same name.
Situated in the north of the city, Sao Cristovao’s stadium sits just a 20-minute walk from the iconic Maracana. Yet it possesses none of the glamour. Sao Cristovao now play in the lower reaches of the Rio de Janeiro state league system and in recent years have teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.
When Ronaldo joined in 1990, they were in a better position, playing in the top flight of the state league, but they were not giants of the Rio football scene by any stretch.
Importantly, though, the club’s facilities were situated relatively close to Ronaldo’s family home in the working-class Rio suburb of Bento Ribeiro, and Sao Cristovao’s coaches and directors were ready to give him the support he needed, an offer that was not forthcoming from the bigger clubs at which Ronaldo had had trials.
Alfredo Sampaio was the Sao Cristovao Under-17 coach when Ronaldo started playing for the Under-15s and remembers his arrival well. “He was being looked at by Flamengo,” Sampaio says, “but he had a lot of financial difficulties. He didn’t have money to go to training [on the bus] and Flamengo didn’t offer the help. That’s why he stayed with us.”
A Sao Cristovao director by the name of Ary de Sa – the same man who had made the deal with Clube Social Ramos to give some of their futsal players a chance to play on grass – provided a little financial assistance to Ronaldo and his family, as he did with other young Sao Cristovao players from less well-off families.
Ronaldo must have been devastated by the missed opportunity with Flamengo. It was the club he supported and, according to Sao Cristovao youth team colleagues, the club he loved so much he tried to avoid playing against them at youth level.
But at Sao Cristovao he was finally in a place where he could demonstrate the skill honed on the streets while skipping school, which he did much to the irritation of his mother Sonia dos Santos, who was vehemently opposed to her son’s footballing ambitions.
Even with Dona Sonia’s constant reprobation, Ronaldo was irrepressible. Sampaio immediately took note.
“I remember [the first time I saw him play] because it was a game soon after he’d arrived at Sao Cristovao,” he says. “It was a friendly tournament [with the Under-15 team] and he scored five goals in the game, if I remember rightly. He was really quick, he had really fast movement, a long stride, and that caught my eye.”
That one game was enough for Ronaldo’s rise to begin. He was soon playing for the Under-17 team coached by Sampaio, who was then promoted to coach the Under-20s. Though Ronaldo was still young enough to be playing for the Under-15s, Sampaio says he didn’t hesitate for a second to take Ronaldo with him onto that next rung of the ladder.
Despite his abundant talent, there was no pretension to Ronaldo, Sampaio recalls. The coach remembers a cheeky but pleasant young man.
“Generally, boys playing football in Brazil come from poor backgrounds, and you end up seeing some difficult behaviour because of the environment in which they live. But Ronaldo, no.
“His mother was always present in his life. He laughed and joked all the time. He didn’t have the resources to do the things that he might have liked to do, but in terms of behaviour and politeness, he was never problematic.”
Ronaldo’s youth-team strike partner Clayton Grilo remembers that they dreamed of playing against each other as professionals – Ronaldo for Flamengo and Clayton for Fluminense – and would listen to endless funk carioca, a genre of music that emanated from Rio’s favelas.
Clayton also recalls the pair skipping bus fares so they could save the little money they were given by the club for clothes, so they could look like their funk singer idols.
“Back in the day it was all that baile funk,” says Clayton, who went on to play for Gremio and Fluminense. “[Ronaldo] used to tell us that he’d go to the baile funk [dances] and get with loads of women, but he didn’t.
“He was ugly as fuck, who was he gonna get? He couldn’t fool us. Today he can get whoever he wants but in those days, with his big hair and sunburn, who was he going to get with?”
While a little disobedient, Ronaldo’s behaviour was nothing out of the ordinary for a teenager. There was one quirky element to the young Ronaldo’s personality that Sampaio noticed, however.
“He scored a lot of goals, but he never celebrated. He didn’t run off waving his arms. Once I asked him, ‘Why do you score goals and not celebrate?’ He turned around and said, ‘Gaffer, scoring is normal for me.’
“He didn’t say that with any arrogance, he wasn’t gloating, it wasn’t vanity. He said it with a childish air. It was more like, ‘If I celebrate every time I score, I’m going to end up getting tired.’ He was like that. He liked playing and having fun.”
So focused was Ronaldo on his own game, so absorbed in his own little world, that some tactical and technical aspects of the game passed him by completely. Sampaio remembers that if he wanted Ronaldo to mark a certain opposition player when Sao Cristovao were out of possession, it was not enough to refer to that player by his position.
If Sampaio said, ‘Press the centre-back,’ or, ‘Make sure you don’t give the deep-lying midfielder too much time on the ball,’ Ronaldo would look at him blankly. Instead, Sampaio had to point out the boy he wanted him to mark.
“What he wanted was to play. If it was against Pele or if it was against Joe Bloggs on the corner, it was the same thing.”
Ronaldo was also poor in the air, a deficiency he never corrected, which Sampaio puts down to disinterest. “He played across the world, but never was good at heading. He didn’t like it. He never developed the ability. The times that I met him afterwards, I joked, ‘Alright, have you learned how to head it yet?’”
Still, Ronaldo’s devastating pace, dribbling ability and unerring finishing made the other parts of his game irrelevant. “He did stepovers with one leg and the other,” Clayton Grilo recalls. “Nobody could catch him when he was running. That explosion was his essence.
“When we did physical training, the little rascal didn’t like to run at all. He came out with all the bloody excuses. But when it came to the game, the filho da puta transformed. In the game, he was the bollocks. It was natural for him, that acceleration, those stepovers with left and right.”
Even if it wasn’t yet clear that Ronaldo would become quite as good as he eventually did – “If I told you that I knew [at that time] that he would be one of the icons of world football, I would be lying,” Sampaio says – people other than the coaches at Sao Cristovao were starting to notice Ronaldo’s promise.
In a practice that was common in Brazil, emerging football agents Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins bought Ronaldo’s contract from Sao Cristovao for US$7,500. Sampaio had recommended that it would prove a wise investment. Likewise, national team scouts had started to sit up and take note of a boy who was making waves against some of the nation’s strongest sides at youth level despite playing for a relative minnow.
In January 1993, Ronaldo had just made another step up alongside Sampaio, who had been promoted to coach the first team. Yet before he could play for Sao Cristovao’s senior side, the 16-year-old was selected as part of the Brazil Under-17 squad that travelled to Colombia for the South American championships.
For the youth Selecao, the tournament was a disaster – they finished fourth and failed to qualify for an Under-17 World Cup for the first time in Brazil’s history. Yet for Ronaldo, it was another significant landmark on his road to superstardom.
In the first game, a Ronaldo hat-trick gave Brazil a 3-2 victory over Chile and further Ronaldo-inspired wins against Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia saw Brazil progress to the second stage – a four-team group that would decide the three nations to qualify for the Under-17 World Cup.
There, Brazil lost 2-1 to Argentina before struggling to 2-2 draws with both Chile and Colombia. The Selecao finished bottom of the group and the other three teams went to the World Cup later that year.
But Ronaldo had barged his way through opposition defences, scoring a total of eight by the time the tournament came to an end. It was sufficient for the next leg of his journey to begin.
Big clubs had already shown an interest in Ronaldo by then. Botafogo had offered agents Pitta and Martins 50% of a future transfer fee in return for Ronaldo’s signature, which Pitta and Martins rejected. Sao Paulo had also offered US$15,000, less than the US$25,000 the young agents were requesting prior to Ronaldo’s barnstorming displays with the Brazil Under-17s.
With that tournament fresh in the memories of the nation’s scouts, however, Ronaldo’s price had risen and Pitta and Martins went out looking for another suitor.
“There was an agent here called Leo Rabelo,” Sampaio says, “and Leo Rabelo was already prestigious in the eyes of Brazilian clubs. It was Leo Rabelo who intermediated with Cruzeiro, he opened the doors for Ronaldo and his agents.”
After negotiations, Pitta and Martins received US$50,000, a significant return on their US$7,500 investment. At the time, it was reported in the press that it was in fact Jairzinho, the 1970 World Cup hero and Cruzeiro legend, who had recommended Ronaldo to his old club, a story that has persisted.
In 2018, the 1982 World Cup final referee Arnaldo Cezar Coelho said on SporTV that it was Jairzinho “who polished Ronaldo, taught the runs, the acceleration, all those characteristics. And when it came down to it, the guys [agents] ignored Jairzinho, abandoned Jairzinho.” Jairzinho, sat alongside Coelho, refused to comment.
The next day, Pitta and Martins published a statement saying Coelho’s claims were false. Their version is that Jairzinho coached Sao Cristovao around that time but never worked with Ronaldo directly, and that Sampaio recommended Ronaldo to them, and they presented Ronaldo to Cruzeiro. Sampaio says the latter is “the only version” he knows.
It was the first soap-opera drama of Ronaldo’s career. The first of several. However it happened, the fact is Ronaldo became a Cruzeiro player. He made the journey 400km north to Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais state, finally getting a shot with one of the nation’s biggest clubs.
Design: Euan Moss
Still just 16, Ronaldo was not put straight into the first team when he arrived. Instead, he trained and played with the Under-20s. He stood out again, of course, scoring four goals on his youth-team debut.
At that point, though, he was still one more extremely talented youth player in a country that produces them like the Cadbury’s factory churns out Dairy Milks. There were even arguments in Belo Horizonte bars about whether Cruzeiro or their local rivals Atletico Mineiro had the better up-and-coming centre-forward.
Atletico’s great hope was called Reinaldo, and Ronaldo and Reinaldo battled it out in the local Under-20 classicos and for the No.9 shirt in the Brazil Under-17 side. Reinaldo went on to have a good career, playing for Anderlecht in Belgium, Hellas Verona in Italy as well as a host of big Brazilian clubs. But as Reinaldo himself admitted after retiring, there was something extra special about his friend and rival.
“When [Ronaldo] came into the [youth] Selecao, I’d been there two or three years,” Reinaldo told Superesportes. “I always joked with Caio Ribeiro when Ronaldo came on in the second half, we already saw that one of the two was going to end up on the bench.
“I was only better than him at heading, but his finishing, I’ve never seen anything like it. He’d come on and it’d be stepovers this way and that.”
Less than three months after arriving in Belo Horizonte – three months in which Ronaldo found time to finish top scorer in the Minas Gerais Under-20 championship – Cruzeiro’s first-team coach Pinheiro saw fit to hand the awkward, skinny teenager his senior debut in a Minas Gerais state championship game against Caldense, which a Cruzeiro second string won 1-0.
In 2008, one of the Caldense defenders that day, Russo, told Hoje em Dia: “I really remember him on the pitch. He didn’t play very well.”
Ronaldo soon put that right. After a few more games back in the youth team and another tournament with the Brazil Under-17 team in the United States that served as a test event for the World Cup the following year – which nobody then expected Ronaldo to go to – he travelled to Portugal with the first team, who had recently won the Copa do Brasil.
Careca, a more senior Cruzeiro forward at the time, who now works with the club’s Under-17 team, says: “Cruzeiro went on a tour to Portugal and Ronaldo went as part of the touring party. By then it wasn’t Pinheiro as coach anymore. It was Carlos Alberto Silva.”
In Portugal, Cruzeiro played four friendlies, against Benfica, Belenenses, Penarol and Porto. Ronaldo played in all of them, scoring his first senior goal against Belenenses – with his head, ironically – and his second against Penarol.
“[Ronaldo] went really well at the tournament over there,” Careca continues, “played great games, scored goals, and he enchanted both the Portuguese and the manager Carlos Alberto Silva, who didn’t know who he was [before that]. When we got back, Carlos Alberto maintained Ronaldo in the first team. Then his story at Cruzeiro began.”
It nearly ended too, as it happens. Porto were so impressed that they offered Cruzeiro president Cesar Masci US$500,000 on the spot, 10 times what Cruzeiro had paid a few months prior. Masci said he wanted US$750,000 and Porto put an end to negotiations.
Porto’s reluctance to shell out that extra quarter of a million meant Ronaldo stayed in Brazil a little longer, giving him time to get to know the rest of the squad.
Careca remembers a happy-go-lucky character: “He was not at all shy. He was very extroverted, a big joker, joyful. His relationship with the other players was excellent.
“He was a boy who even at the beginning at Cruzeiro showed great potential technically. [But] what most impressed me about Ronaldo and what impressed me right from the start was his focus on becoming an idol and a great player.”
That focus, the ability to shut out the world and concentrate only on his game, is something others close to him comment on too. In Jorge Caldeira’s book Ronaldo: Gloria e Drama no Futebol Globalizado , Ronaldo’s coach from Clube Social Ramos, Alirio Carvalho says: “What was special about him was his attitude. It was as if he had come from the moon. Nothing disturbed him, nothing overawed him, nothing threw him off his game.”
Sao Cristovao coach Alfredo Sampaio says something similar: “If there was a time that he didn’t play as well, it was because of him, never because of the pressure of the game. He was never shaken by the occasion. He was like Garrincha. He didn’t care who he was playing against, he wanted to play. He trusted himself, and he was having fun.
“When he played against the best in the world, he played in the same way. He was always serene and tranquil, but always really quick, really decisive, very strong.”
That single-mindedness, combined with his speed, skill and strength, soon saw Ronaldo scoring goal after goal after goal for the Cruzeiro first team. It was already September by the time Cruzeiro returned from Portugal, but Ronaldo found the net 20 more times before the year was out.
Ronaldo scored against his beloved Flamengo, who were reigning national champions, netted twice against Botafogo, and managed eight in the Supercopa Libertadores.
In the round of 16, Cruzeiro beat Chilean league leaders Colo-Colo 9-4 on aggregate, Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick and setting up another in the first game and scoring twice more in the second leg.
In the quarter-finals, Ronaldo scored three against Nacional of Uruguay – once at home in a 2-1 loss, twice away in a 3-2 win – including a deliciously skilful goal to make it 2-0 and a last-minute winner to take the game to penalties. Cruzeiro were eliminated, but Ronaldo had already done enough to make himself the Supercopa’s top scorer.
That was swiftly followed by the five goals in that single game against Bahia in which Rodolfo Rodriguez suffered his embarrassing lapse late on – a game that was dissected and replayed on television for the whole of Brazil to see and resulted in Ronaldo’s first senior Selecao call up, though not a first cap.
Careca scored the only other goal that afternoon. “In that game,” he says, “[Ronaldo] showed all of his talent: mental, physical and technical. The only thing he didn’t do that day was make it rain in the Minerao. That’s when he started to grab the attention of the world.
“Playing with Ronaldo was really easy because his quality was so far above average. He played and made all the other players, all his colleagues, play and grow and give a better account of themselves. He made the game easier and did something that today is rare, he was a forward who decided games by himself. It came easily to Ronaldo.”
As he gained national fame for his goals, Ronaldo was already working on another part of his reputation in Belo Horizonte. He liked to sneak out of the digs where he lived with other players to hit the town and would sleep at Cruzeiro fans’ houses to get around the curfew imposed by the club. He was not a drinker, but, as Belo Horizonte-based journalist Paulo Galvao says, Ronaldo “was always a boy who people said liked two things: women and food”.
As part of an improved contract he earned while at Cruzeiro, club president Cesar Masci had given the young striker a red VW Gol that he used to get to and from training and go out in the city.
“I still lived in an apartment in the city centre in ‘93,” Galvao says, “and I was walking home one Sunday evening. There was a bus stop on the way and there was a guy [in a car] talking to a girl [at the bus stop, saying], ‘Come on, I’ll take you home, I’ll give you a lift. You don’t need to wait for the bus.’ She was saying, ‘No, no, no.’ When I looked closely it was Ronaldo.
“And at that time, for you to understand that in Brazil things weren’t really that serious, Ronaldo didn’t have a driving licence. Everyone knew [what he was doing], he went to training in his car. But he wasn’t 18, he wasn’t old enough to have a licence.
“But he had offers from other clubs, and to convince him to sign, the Cruzeiro president said, ‘Ah, no. Here, have a car.’ It’s Brazil. It’s different.”
Whatever he was getting up to off the pitch didn’t affect his form in the slightest. As 1994 dawned, Ronaldo kept hitting the net week after week, those legs a blur of stepovers, that blistering speed destroying defences left and right.
A hat-trick in a pre-season friendly against Jubilo Iwata in Tokyo introduced him to the audience in front of which he later starred in 2002, but the two displays that really grabbed the attention were both in the Mineirao, Cruzeiro’s cavernous home stadium, a ground on which he scored 32 goals in 27 games.
The first came in early March, when Ronaldo scored all three of his team’s goals in a 3-1 derby win over Atletico in front of almost 70,000 people under pouring rain. As much as for the goals, the game is remembered for a bit of skill that took him past Uruguayan centre-back Fernando Kanapkis.
“He destroyed the game,” says Careca. “He didn’t only destroy the game but he destroyed Kanapkis. He left Kanapkis sat on the floor. The Cruzeiro fans gave him a three-minute standing ovation.”
Ronaldo Fenômeno 'entortando' o Kanapkis, ex-jogador das frangas (1994) pic.twitter.com/FUFMF7Hcm6 — Cruzeiro em Vídeos (@CECemVideos) May 31, 2016
The second gala display was in the Copa Libertadores against Boca Juniors. Ronaldo had been kicked and fouled in the previous game between the two at the Bombonera, and if he went out for revenge, he got it . At 1-1 in the second half, he surged through two defenders, dribbled past another, rounded the goalkeeper and tapped the ball into the unguarded net to win the game.
The calls for Ronaldo to be handed a national team debut reached deafening levels and between those two games for Cruzeiro, Carlos Alberto Parreira heeded them. Ronaldo was included in the squad for a friendly with Argentina at the wild, vast, crumbling Arruda stadium in the north-eastern Brazilian city of Recife.
Ronaldo only got 10 minutes at the end after one of his childhood heroes Bebeto had given Brazil a 2-0 lead in the first half as Diego Maradona, who was trying to get in shape for the World Cup, watched from the bench. But Ronaldo’s cameo in front of 100,000 fans was what the nation desired.
As journalist Paulo Galvao says: “We have to remember that Brazil struggled to qualify for the World Cup in 1990 and in 1994. So there was that desire to see a player who really was out of the ordinary, who could swing the balance.”
Six weeks after that debut, Ronaldo was called up again for a friendly with Iceland in the southern Brazilian city of Florianopolis. The game was on May 3, exactly six weeks before the World Cup kicked off with Diana Ross’ infamous penalty in Chicago.
Romario and Bebeto were already guaranteed as the starting attacking duo in the USA, but Parreira was unsure of who else to take and against Iceland, he put Ronaldo in from the start, playing with the No.7 on his back alongside Corinthians forward Viola.
Thirty minutes into the game, a loose ball dropped on the edge of the area and Ronaldo was there. He hit it first time with his left foot and, after taking a slight deflection off an Icelandic defender, it nestled into the bottom corner of the goal.
Asked about the goal on Brazilian TV years later, Iceland goalkeeper Birkir Kristinsson chuckled and said: “I think [Ronaldo] was lucky because I would have saved it. I was going towards the left corner, but the ball deflected and went into the right corner. Obviously we could see he was a great player. We had trouble getting the ball off him.”
Ronaldo returned to Cruzeiro, scored two in the following two games and with it secured his first title as a player – the Campeonato Mineiro 1994, the Minas Gerais state crown. Unsurprisingly, he picked up another top-scorer gong to go with his medal, having hit 22 in 18 games.
All he could do now was wait as Parreira decided to whom those last few plane tickets would go.
The day of the announcement came and television cameras and radio reporters piled into Ronaldo’s living room along with him and his family. As Parriera read out the names and Ronaldo was among them, the cameras recorded the goofy, brace-filled smile that broke across his face.
The reaction was one of happiness, but not shock. Perhaps a phone call had been made to tell him the news in private beforehand, or maybe it was another example of his supreme confidence.
Despite the hype and hot air that surrounded Ronaldo, there was an understanding that he was going to the World Cup more for the experience than to be a real part of the team. Indeed, when in the US, he did not play a minute, watching from the bench as Romario’s goals secured Brazil their fourth world crown.
His selection, though, was confirmation that the future belonged to him.
After the tournament, he returned to Belo Horizonte, but everyone knew it would not be for long. Never one to sit still, Ronaldo was already looking ahead to his next move – he had said as much in the press. Even at such a young age, Ronaldo was already set on making rapid progress towards the very top.
There were plenty of admirers in Germany, Portugal and Italy, but Ronaldo chose the Netherlands and PSV. When asked why by a TV reporter, he said that Romario had recommended he sign for PSV. Ronaldo had responded, only semi-jokingly, by telling Romario that he would break his records in the Eredivisie.
Before he departed, Ronaldo had an inevitable parting gift. In his last game for Cruzeiro, a friendly against Botafogo, one of the clubs who had turned him down not long before, Ronaldo dribbled around the goalkeeper to score and earn his team a 1-1 draw.
Counting friendlies and competitive games, it was his 56th goal in 58 games for the club in a little over a year. As Careca says: “It’s not any old player who can do that.”
For Ronaldo, Cruzeiro received US$6million, 120 times what they had paid Pitta and Martins just over a year prior. “That was a lot of money for a club like Cruzeiro at the time,” says journalist Galvao. “It was enough to pay off all their bills and money they owed.
“Brazilian clubs suffer a lot, they’re always in debt. So $6million in ‘94, it was a lot. Nobody said, ‘No, they shouldn’t sell him.’ Maybe they could have asked to keep a percentage of a future transfer fee, but nobody complained about the fee.
“It was good business for both [Ronaldo and Cruzeiro]. He delivered on the pitch, he scored goals and won titles and brought money in.”
Good business, it seems, is also how Ronaldo viewed his time in Belo Horizonte. Asked if he is a club idol, ex-player Careca says yes, but Galvao says the word idol is too strong. Despite his success and the fond memories of those who played and lived alongside him, Ronaldo never created a particularly affectionate relationship with the city or club.
He never made any promises about returning to finish off his career there, nor does he talk about that period a great deal. That is not to say that the time spent at Sao Cristovao and Cruzeiro was not a crucial spell in Ronaldo’s formation as a player and man. It is instead, perhaps, a reflection on his character.
As Alfredo Sampaio and others who know him say, Ronaldo has always looked only ahead, on the pitch and in life.
“Ronaldo always put his career ahead of everything else,” Galvao says. “He never really cared where it was, or who he’s playing for. He cared about whether he was going to play and whether he was going to earn money. That’s the way he was since he was young.”
The attitude took Ronaldo to the very summit of the world game, saw him twice return from knee injuries that could have ended his career, and has made him a successful businessman too. Ronaldo now lives in Madrid, runs a renowned sports marketing agency and part-owns Real Valladolid, among other ventures. There is little time, one imagines, for reminiscence or social visits.
“I haven’t seen him for years,” Sampaio says. “The last time was in 2008. I was the manager of Vasco da Gama and we went to play a tournament in Dubai. He was there with Inter. Since that, I’ve only spoken to him once, through a television interview. He said I was the first person who believed in him as a player. His life is very busy but if I do meet him, he’s always very agreeable, we’ve always maintained a good relationship.”
Clayton Grilo, who now runs a social project called Centro de Oportunidade ao Talento that uses sport to help children from disadvantaged communities stay away from gangs and drugs, says it would be a dream if he could get his old mate to come and visit the kids he works with and that he hopes to make the visit happen at some point in the coming year. The kids would perhaps see something of themselves in Ronaldo’s story.
“He was a good lad, simple,” Clayton says. “He was a humble boy. Nobody expected he would become what he did. Each time he scored a goal or won a trophy I felt that I had played some part in his story. I felt happy with him.”
Sampaio concurs. “He was a normal boy,” he says. “He had his dreams.” With a leg up from Sao Cristovao and Cruzeiro, Ronaldo fulfilled them. In doing so, he fulfilled those of a nation too.
By Joshua Law
READ NEXT: Gigi Simoni: I never asked Ronaldo to run, he just needed to play
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Ronaldo Nazario Biography, Childhood, Career, Life, Facts
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (born Sept 18, 1976) is a retired Brazilian footballer who played football between 1993 to 2011. A prolific goalscorer with incredible playmaking and dribbling abilities, Ronaldo is regarded as one of the best footballers in the history of the sport. The star is not the best player to have come from the country, but he certainly made his mark as one of the best the country has ever produced. In this article on Ronaldo Nazario biography, childhood, career, personal life and facts, we review the life of the football sensation from his early life to date.
Ronaldo’s incredible style of play and football skills inspired present-day footballers who currently play in professional football leagues across Europe — a classic example is Manchester City forward, Gabriel Jesus, who began taking football seriously after watching Ronaldo perform wonders at the 2002 World Cup.
Table of Contents
Ronaldo Nazario’s Biography Quick Facts, Age
Below are some biography quick facts that you should know about the Brazilian retired football legend .
Full Name: Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
Nicknames: Fenômeno, The Proper One
Date of Birth: September 18, 1976
Age: 47 years old
Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 82 kg
Father: Nélio Nazário de Lima, Snr
Mother: Sônia dos Santos Barata
Brother: Nélio Nazário de Lima Jr.
Sister: Ione Lima
Sons: Ronald Nazário de Lima, Alexander Nazário de Lima
Daughters: Maria Sophia Nazário de Lima, Maria Alice Nazário de Lima
Ronaldo Nazario’s Early Life & Childhood
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima is the third of three children born on September 18, 1976, to the couple, Nazario de Lima and Sonia dos Santos Barata. Ronaldo’s parents were poor, but despite that, he excelled in academics. His progress in academics continued, until the age of 11 when his parents separated. His parents’ separation weighed heavily on him as he dropped out of school. As soon as he dropped out of school, he began going out more often to the street.
It was then he began playing football more often and his hidden talent came to the fore. At the age of 12, he joined a futsal team. Futsal was important in developing his skills. In the futsal league he joined, Ronaldo led the league in the first season with 166 goals. His impressive skills caught the attention of retired Brazilian footballer, Jairzinho, who was the coach of São Cristóvão youth team. He thus recruited Ronaldo in his team. After Ronaldo performed outstandingly for São Cristóvão he was recommended to Cruzeiro by Jairzinho.
Ronaldo Nazario Senior Career, Accomplishments & Awards
Cruzeiro (1993–1994).
Ronaldo greatly admired Flamengo, a team he had dreamt to play for. He was then invited for a tryout by the club but missed the scheduled tryout due to his inability to afford the transport fare. His coach, Jairzinho then linked him to Cruzeiro. Ronaldo debuted for Cruzeiro at the age of 16 and helped the club claim the 1993 Copa do Brasil and 1994 Minas Gerais State Championship.
PSV (1994–1996)
Following the 1994 World Cup, former Brazilian footballer turned Politician, Romário advised Ronaldo to move to PSV. In his first season at PSV, he recorded 30 goals and attracted media attention due to his performance. Ronaldo was just 18 years old then. In his second season at PSV, he ranked as the Eredivisie highest goal scorer and also helped PSV win the Dutch Cup. As a result of his top form, Ronaldo was subject to interest from Barcelona and Inter Milan
Barcelona (1996–1997)
In the bidding war that ensued, Barcelona proved to be the stronger party as they paid $19.5 million for Ronaldo. Ronaldo proved to be a world-class player as he led the Barcelona to several victories. In the 1996/97 season, Ronaldo led Barcelona to win the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana. He went on to top the Laliga goalscoring charts in 1997 and also won the Golden Shoe. For his performance in the 1996 season, Ronaldo who was then 20 years old, went on to become the youngest player to ever win the FIFA World Player of the Year. After a wonderful 1997 season at Barcelona, fans hoped Ronaldo will renew his contract with the club, as that’s what was the logical thing to do.
Inter Milan (1997–2002)
After Inter Milan paid the buyout clause of his contract with Barcelona, he was signed for a world record amount of $27 million, which made him the second player after Maradona to break the World transfer record on two occasions. In his first season at Inter Milan, Ronaldo scored 25 goals in the league and was named the Serie A Footballer of the Year. He also went on to claim the FIFA World Player of the Year as well as the Ballon d’Or.
Following his wonderful performance at the 1998 World Cup, Ronaldo established himself as one of the best players in the world. The following season, he was appointed the club’s captain. Through 1999 to 2002, Ronaldo enjoyed a successful time at Inter Milan which saw him win the Ballon d’Or for the third time. He, however, had to deal with recurring injuries. He ended his time at Inter Milan by scoring 59 goals in 99 games. In 2018, he was inducted into the Inter Milan Hall of Fame.
Real Madrid (2002–2007)
Following his five years stint at Inter Milan, he moved to Real Madrid for a record €46 million. In his debut season for Madrid, Ronaldo who was part of the Galáctico era which saw top stars such as David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and others play for Los Blancos, won the 2002 Intercontinental Cup, as well as the 2003 Laliga and Spanish Cup. In the Champions League, Madrid was set to win the tournament, but following Ronaldo’s injury, Juventus defeated Madrid in the semifinal of the tournament.
In the 2003/04 season, Madrid who was on track to win a treble was knocked out of the Champions League and also lost the Copa del Rey final following Ronaldo’s injury. He, however, topped the goal-scoring chart of the league and also won a second Pichichi Trophy. In his final two seasons at Madrid, he struggled with injury and had weight issues and also fell out with Madrid manager, Fabio Capello.
AC Milan (2002–2008)
In January 2007, Ronaldo moved to AC Milan where he once again struggled to win The UEFA Champions League which evaded him. His move to AC Milan made him one of a handful of players who have played for Italian rivals, AC Milan and Inter Milan. A year after his move to Milan, he suffered an injury which ended his season and led him out of the club due to a lack of contract renewal.
Corinthians
In 2009, Ronaldo moved to Corinthians after signing a one year deal with the Brazilian club. In his first season with the club, he helped the club win the Campeonato Paulista and the Copa do Brasil. After renewing his contract for another year, Ronaldo had to retire prematurely after 18 years of active play due to hypothyroidism, a condition responsible for his weight gains which he struggled with during his career.
Ronaldo Nazario International Career
In March 1994, Ronaldo debuted for the Brazilian senior team in a friendly against Argentina. He was then selected to play in the 1994 World Cup but did not play. In the 1996 Olympics, he was part of the Brazilian team that won Bronze. In the 1995 Copa America, he helped Brazil emerge second. In the 1997 edition of the tournament, he was awarded the player of the tournament award as Brazil won the tournament. He also led Brazil to finish second in the 1998 World Cup as he won the Golden ball award, after leading Brazil to their maiden Confederations Cup win.
In the 1999 Copa America, he emerged the tournament top scorer as Brazil went on to emerge champions. In the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo was in his best form as he led Brazil to World Cup glory and also tied for 12 goals in the World Cup with Brazilian legend, Pele. For his performance in the world Cup, he was awarded the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year and the Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year Awards.
In the 2006 World Cup, his performance was incredible but not good enough to help Brazil win another World Cup trophy. He was the tournament’s third-highest goal scorer. Following the announcement that he’ll retire, a farewell match was held between Romania and Brazil, which Brazil won. He retired as Brazil’s second-highest goalscorer of all time.
Ronaldo Nazario Wife, Relationships, Personal Life
In 1997, Ronaldo met Susana Werner, an actress he met on the set of Malhação, a Brazilian telenovela. They courted and lived together in Milan but never got married.
In 1999, he married Milene Domingues, a Brazilian female footballer, who gave to their first son, named Ronald in April 2000. They divorced after 4 years of marriage. After he had a luxurious wedding with Daniela Cicarelli, an MTV VJ, she had a miscarriage and their marriage dissolved three months after.
His engagement to Maria Beatriz Antony was threatened in April 2008, after news emerged of his dealings with travesty prostitutes who were legally male. One of the prostitutes tried to blackmail Ronaldo and revealed the case to the media. Maria Beatriz Antony is the mother of his first daughter who was born in December 2008. She goes by the name, Maria Sophia. In April 2010, Antony had another daughter for him, Maria Alice.
In 2005, it was revealed that Ronaldo is the father of Alexander, a child born by a Brazilian waitress in Tokyo named, Michele Umezu. After it was confirmed that he had 4 children, he had a vasectomy in December 2010.
Ronaldo has business initiatives in the world of sports such as A1 Team Brazil, a team that competes in the A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. He also owns 9INE, a sports marketing brand. Ronaldo established a youth football academy, Ronaldo Academy, in 2015. Branches of the academy are in Brazil, China and the US. In 2020, he plans to release 100 more branches.
SEE MORE: Biography, facts and personal life of famous footballers
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Cristiano Ronaldo
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Table Of Contents
When was Cristiano Ronaldo born?
Cristiano Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal , Madeira , Portugal .
What was Cristiano Ronaldo’s early life like?
Ronaldo joined Clube Desportivo Nacional of Madeira and then transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal (known as Sporting Lisbon ), where he played for that club’s various youth football (soccer) teams before making his debut on Sporting’s first team in 2002. He signed with English powerhouse Manchester United in 2003.
An instant sensation, Ronaldo came to be regarded as one of football’s best forwards. His finest season with United came in 2007–08, when he scored 42 League and Cup goals and earned the Golden Shoe award as Europe ’s leading scorer, with 31 League goals. He is the all-time leading scorer for Spain ’s Real Madrid .
Ronaldo helped United to a Champions League title in May 2008 and captured Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year honours for his stellar 2007–08 season. He was captain of Portugal’s national team in the 2014 and 2018 World Cup competitions and was the third person to earn a lifetime contract from the sportswear company Nike .
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Cristiano Ronaldo (born February 5, 1985, Funchal , Madeira , Portugal ) is a Portuguese football (soccer) forward who is one of the greatest players of his generation. The winner of five Ballon d’Or awards, he is among the sport’s top goal scorers.
Ronaldo’s father, José Dinis Aveiro, was the equipment manager for the local club Andorinha. (The name Ronaldo was added to Cristiano’s name in honor of his father’s favorite movie actor, Ronald Reagan , who was U.S. president at the time of Cristiano’s birth.) At age 15 Ronaldo was diagnosed with a heart condition that necessitated surgery, but he was sidelined only briefly and made a full recovery. He first played for Clube Desportivo Nacional of Madeira and then transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal (known as Sporting Lisbon), where he played for that club’s various youth teams before making his debut on Sporting’s first team in 2002.
A tall player at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters), Ronaldo was a formidable athlete on the pitch. Originally a right-winger, he developed into a forward with a free-reined attacking style. He was able to mesmerize opponents with a sleight of foot that made sufficient space for openings in opposing defenses.
After a successful season with Sporting that brought the young player to the attention of Europe’s biggest football clubs, Ronaldo signed with English powerhouse Manchester United in 2003. He was an instant sensation and soon came to be regarded as one of the best forwards in the game. His finest season with United came in 2007–08, when he scored 42 League and Cup goals and earned the Golden Shoe award as Europe’s leading scorer, with 31 League goals. After helping United to a Champions League title in May 2008, Ronaldo captured Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year honors for his stellar 2007–08 season. He also led United to an appearance in the 2009 Champions League final, which they lost to FC Barcelona .
Soon thereafter Ronaldo was sold to Spain’s Real Madrid —a club with which he had long been rumored to want to play—for a then record £80 million (about $131 million) transfer fee. His scoring prowess continued with his new team, and he netted the most goals (40) in La Liga history during the 2010–11 season (his record was broken the following season by his rival Lionel Messi of Barcelona). In 2011–12 Ronaldo helped Madrid capture a La Liga championship and scored a personal-best 46 goals during the League season. He scored a total of 66 goals in 56 appearances with Madrid and the Portuguese national team in 2013 to earn his second world player of the year award (the FIFA World Player of the Year was renamed the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2010).
In 2014 he scored 52 goals in 43 games and led Madrid to a Champions League title, which resulted in Ronaldo capturing another Ballon d’Or award. In 2014–15 he netted 48 goals to lead La Liga in scoring. Ronaldo netted his 324th goal as a member of Real in October 2015 to become the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. He scored 35 La Liga goals in 2015–16 and helped Real win its record 11th Champions League title, and in December 2016 he won a fourth career Ballon d’Or for his accomplishments. Ronaldo scored 42 goals for Real across all competitions in 2016–17 and led his team to La Liga and Champions League titles that season, which resulted in a fifth career Ballon d’Or award. In 2017–18 he scored 44 goals in 44 games, and Real won a third straight Champions League title.
In July 2018 he reached a four-year contract worth €112 million (about $132 million) with the Italian powerhouse Juventus . He finished his Real career with 311 goals in 292 matches. He scored 28 goals in his first season with Juventus—his lowest domestic goal total since his last season with Manchester United—as the powerhouse club won its eighth straight Italian league title. In the 2019–20 season Ronaldo helped the club capture another league title, and Juventus later won the 2020 Supercoppa Italiana and the 2021 Coppa Italia Final. Several months after the latter match, he left Juventus and returned to Manchester United. His second stint with the club proved disappointing, however. Both Ronaldo and Manchester struggled, and he expressed growing dissatisfaction with the club. In November 2022 his contract was terminated by “mutual agreement.” The following month Ronaldo signed with the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
On his home soil, after moving through the youth and under-21 ranks, Ronaldo had made his first appearance for Portugal’s full national team against Kazakhstan in August 2003 (four days after his debut for United). He was a key player in Portugal’s fourth-place finish at the 2006 World Cup and became the full-time captain of the national team in 2008. In 2012 his stellar play led Portugal to the semifinals of the European Championship , where his team was eliminated by rival Spain in a match that was decided by a penalty kick shoot-out. Ronaldo came into the 2014 World Cup hot off of his second world player of the year win, but his play at the tournament was spotty, and the entire Portugal team struggled during a group-stage elimination. In 2016 he helped Portugal win the European Championship, the country’s first major international tournament title, although he only played sparingly in the final because of a knee injury that he had sustained early in the match. Ronaldo played brilliantly at the 2018 World Cup, scoring four goals in four games as Portugal advanced to the knockout round only to lose its first match of that stage to a strong defensive Uruguay side. Four years later Ronaldo became the first male player to score at five different World Cups. However, he was not part of the starting lineup for several games, and Portugal’s 2022 World Cup ended with a loss in the quarterfinals.
Ronaldo was one of the most well-known sports stars off the field, and numerous studies of athletes’ popularity showed that he was the most-beloved athlete in the world during his playing peak. His extreme popularity made Ronaldo one of the highest-paid endorsers in sports history, and in November 2016 he became the third person (after basketball superstars Michael Jordan and LeBron James ) to earn a “lifetime” contract from the sportswear company Nike . Moreover, he established his own successful “CR7” brand of products that included shoes, underwear, and fragrances. Ronaldo’s immense marketability was at the center of a legal issue that arose in June 2017. That month prosecutors filed a lawsuit that accused Ronaldo of defrauding the Spanish government of €14.7 million ($16.5 million) by hiding his image-rights income in Spain from 2011 to 2014. He was accused of having underestimated the income he earned from the sale and licensing of his image rights and the accompanying tax obligations, but Ronaldo denied all allegations. However, in June 2018 he accepted a suspended two-year prison sentence and agreed to pay €18.8 million ($21.8 million) to the Spanish government to settle the case.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a professional soccer player who has set records while playing for the Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus clubs, as well as the Portuguese national team.
1985-present
Who Is Cristiano Ronaldo?
In the 2004 FA Cup final, Ronaldo scored Manchester's first three goals and helped them capture the championship. He set a franchise record for goals scored in 2008, before Real Madrid paid a record $131 million for his services the following year.
Among his many accomplishments, he has won a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards for player of the year, and led Portugal to an emotional victory in the 2016 European Championship. In July 2018, Ronaldo embarked on a new phase of his career by signing with Italian Serie A club Juventus .
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Cristiano Ronaldo BORN: February 5, 1985 BIRTHPLACE: Funchal, Portugal CHILDREN: 4 ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius
Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, a small island off the western coast of the country. Ronaldo is the youngest of four children born to Maria Dolores dos Santos and José Dinis Aveiro. He was named after Ronald Reagan , one of his father's favorite actors.
Ronaldo grew up in a largely working class neighborhood in a small tin-roofed home that overlooked the ocean. Ronaldo was introduced to the game of soccer through his dad, who worked as an equipment manager at a boy's club.
His early life was shaped by hardship, as his father often drank too much. To help keep the children fed and maintain some financial stability, Ronaldo's mother worked as a cook and cleaning person.
In 2005, when Ronaldo was playing for Manchester United, his father died from alcohol-related kidney problems; in 2007, his mother struggled with breast cancer. The former was especially hard for Ronaldo since he and his dad had been close.
The young athlete had often pushed for his father to enter rehab and address his drinking. His father, however, never accepted the offer.
By the time he was 10 years old, Ronaldo was already recognized as a phenomenon — a kid who ate, slept and drank soccer. "All he wanted to do as a boy was play football," his godfather, Fernao Sousa, recalled for British reporters, adding, "He loved the game so much he'd miss meals or escape out of his bedroom window with a ball when he was supposed to be doing his homework."
By his early teens, Ronaldo's talent and legend had grown considerably. After a stint with Nacional da liha da Madeira, he signed with Sporting Portugal in 2001.
Soccer Career
Manchester united.
In 2001, when Ronaldo was just 16 years old, Manchester United paid more than £12 million to sign him — a record fee for a player of his age.
Ronaldo had turned heads with a mesmerizing performance with Portugal against Manchester, wowing even his opponents with his footwork and deft skill. He made such an impression that a number of United players asked their manager to try and sign the young player, which the team soon did.
Ronaldo did not disappoint the soccer world: He showed his promise early on in the 2004 FA Cup final, scoring the team's first three goals and helping them capture the championship. In 2007, Ronaldo signed a five-year, £31 million contract.
A year later, Ronaldo again justified his high salary when he put together one of the club's finest seasons in history, setting a franchise record for goals scored (42), and earning himself the FIFA World Player of the Year honor for 2008. In all, Ronaldo helped steer Manchester United to three premier league titles.
Real Madrid
In 2009, the Spanish soccer club Real Madrid agreed to pay Manchester United a record $131 million for the chance to sign Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s commitment to Manchester United had come under constant question, and speculation swirled that he wanted to play elsewhere, so nobody was all that surprised to see Ronaldo leave.
"I know that they are going to demand a lot of me to be successful at the club and I know that I'm going to have much more pressure than at Manchester United because I was there for many years," Ronaldo told reporters. "But it means a new challenge and is going to help me be the best footballer."
Ronaldo went on to compile an impressive list of individual honors and team trophies. In December 2016, he won his fourth Ballon d'Or award as the sport's player of the year, beating out FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi .
Ronaldo’s 2016 wins included the European Championship, Champions League and Club World Cup, plus individual awards from UEFA and France Football magazine. The following year, he claimed a fifth Ballon d'Or to tie the mark held by his longtime rival, Messi.
After dropping hints that his time with Real was coming to an end, Ronaldo confirmed the rumors in July 2018 by signing with Italian Serie A club Juventus, which paid a $140 million transfer fee to his old Spanish club.
Ronaldo paid tribute to Real fans in an open letter on the club's website, writing: "These years at Real Madrid and in this city of Madrid have quite possibly been the happiest years of my life. I only have feelings of great gratitude to this club, to the fans and to the city. I can only give thanks to all of them for the love and affection that I have received."
By most measures, Ronaldo's debut season with Juventus was a successful one. He scored 10 times in his first 14 games, and headed home the lone goal in a win over AC Milan for the Supercoppa Italiana trophy. After leading his club to its eighth consecutive Serie A title, he was named the league's MVP in May 2019.
Return to Manchester United
On August 27, 2021, it was announced that Ronaldo would return to Manchester United.
Portugal National Team
On July 10, 2016, Ronaldo added an emotional victory to his collection. As his national team's captain, Ronaldo led Portugal to the European Championship final against France.
Although he was sidelined after suffering a knee injury 25 minutes into the match, Portugal went on to win the championship title 1-0, their first international trophy. Ronaldo's teammates said that he motivated them as team captain from the sidelines.
"He gave us a lot of confidence and he said, 'Listen people, I'm sure we will win this Euro so stay together and fight for it,’” fullback Cedric Soares said after Portugal’s victory.
"This is one of the happiest moments in my career,” Ronaldo commented. ”I’ve always said I wanted to win a trophy with the national team and make history. And I did it. Thank God, things went well for us."
Ronaldo got off to a tremendous start at the 2018 World Cup, blasting home three goals in an opening draw vs. Spain, before adding another vs. Morocco to set a European record with his 85th international goal.
However, he was held scoreless in a 2-1 loss to Uruguay in the knockout stage, after which he declined to comment on his future with the national team.
Personal Life
Ronaldo is dating the Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez; the couple was first seen together publicly around November 2016.
In June 2017, the couple welcomed twins, a boy and a girl, via a surrogate. In November 2017, Rodriguez added to their family with the birth of another girl.
Ronaldo’s first child, Cristiano Jr., was born to a former girlfriend in June 2010.
Statue at the Madeira Airport
In March 2017, self-taught sculptor Emanuel Santos unveiled a bronze bust of Ronaldo at the airport in Ronaldo’s hometown of Madeira, Portugal. The statue was ridiculed for its sinister smile and apparent lack of likeness to its subject, though Santos didn't seem to understand the uproar.
"I asked [Ronaldo] what he thought of the result and he said he liked it," said Santos. "He only asked for some wrinkles that give him a certain expression to his face when he laughs to be changed. He said it made him look older and asked for it to be thinned out a bit to make it smoother and more jovial."
In the wake of the negative publicity, the sports site Bleacher Report commissioned Santos to fashion another sculpture of Ronaldo. This one, unveiled in March 2018, earned praise for more closely resembling the soccer great, though its creator continued to defend his original work.
"I liked the result [of the first bust] and was really proud of it," he told Bleacher Report. "And if I had to do it again, I would make everything exactly the same."
Sexual Assault Investigation
In 2018, police in Las Vegas, Nevada, reopened a 9-year old investigation into claims that Ronaldo had raped a woman in his hotel room. The accuser also filed a civil lawsuit against the star athlete.
The following summer, the district attorney for Clark County, Nevada, announced that he had reviewed the case and would not be pursuing criminal charges against Ronaldo.
Many people look at me and think they know me, but they don’t at all.
My father always taught me that when you help other people, then God will give you double.
Listen, I’m not going to change the world. You’re not going to change the world. But we can help, we can all help.
When I was younger I couldn’t understand the meaning of true friendship. Now I have more experience and I know who loves me without wanting anything.
I want to win all the trophies possible!
I don’t like to do things by halves. It has to be done well.
Either you like me or not. There is nothing in between.
I look at the ball, I look at the net and I say to myself, “Take the kick, Ronaldo,” then I shoot.
The goals I have scored are a consequence of the confidence I have.
I keep to my word, my promise and dreams. I’ll never close any door to any club.
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Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born February 5, 1985) is the quintessential footballer/soccer star. Possessing strength, pace, skill, and professionalism in abundance, Ronaldo’s many attributes leave him well-equipped for the modern game.
In an age where players have never been fitter or stronger, Ronaldo ensures that his outrageous natural talent is complemented by a bulging physique that makes him a tough competitor and a threat to any defense.
In 2009, his US$131 million move from Manchester United to Real Madrid made him the most expensive player in the world (since surpassed by Gareth Bale). And at the Bernabeu, he has thrilled the masses with high-caliber performances and an unreal number of goals.
Fast Facts: Cristano Ronaldo
Nationality: Portuguese
Date and Place of Birth: February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Portugal
Position: Winger/Striker
Current Club: Real Madrid (La Liga)
Previous Clubs: Sporting Lisbon (2001-2003), Manchester United (2003-2009)
International Career: 2003 to present
Early Career
Sporting Lisbon signed a 10-year-old Ronaldo after a three-day trial and he ultimately became the first player to turn out for the club with the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, B-team, and first team in a single season.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson swooped to sign him as an 18-year-old after a devastating performance in a friendly against his side in 2003.
Rise to Prominence
Ferguson eased Ronaldo in gently, but from his early cameo performances, it was obvious the Scot had signed a player of immense natural ability.
Wearing the famous number seven shirt previously assigned to the likes of George Best and Eric Cantona, Ronaldo’s first season garnered 10 goals.
By the end of the 2006-07 season, the Portuguese star had registered 23 goals in 53 appearances for United and played a major role in the club winning their first title for four seasons.
The World's Best
The following campaign was to prove his best in a Red Devils shirt. Ronaldo scored a stunning total of 42 goals in 49 games as United won the Premier League and Champions League . He dovetailed beautifully with Wayne Rooney, while Carlos Tevez helped make the team’s attack one of the most prolific in the world game that season.
But rumors already started circulating about a move to Real Madrid. Manchester United stood firm that summer, retaining Ronaldo for one last season and at the turn of the year he won the FIFA World Player of the Year award for the first time.
Twenty-six goals in all competition helped United to another Premier League title and an appearance in the Champions League final where the English club was beaten 2-0 by Barcelona.
But it was no secret that Ronaldo was looking for pastures new and on June 26, 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that he would be joining them in a world record deal.
The Latest Galáctico
Florentino Perez was the man who brought Ronaldo to the Bernabeu as he begun a second spell as president. His Galácticos policy is world famous, and Ronaldo certainly fitted the mold, following in the footsteps of Luis Figo, David Beckham, and Zinedine Zidane.
Ronaldo was presented to 80,000 fans at the Bernabeu, as club legend Alfredo Di Stefano handed him the famous number nine shirt.
A devastating haul of 33 goals in 35 appearances—despite missing a month and a half through injury—rendered his first season in Spain a huge personal success, although no trophies were forthcoming as Barcelona continued their domestic dominance and Real Madrid again bowed out in the Champions League second round.
Under fellow countryman Jose Mourinho , Ronaldo helped Real Madrid to the Copa del Rey in the 2010/11 season, scoring the winning goal against Barcelona in the final.
He also beat the all-time record for goals in a single season in La Liga, turning on the afterburners (11 in the final four games) in the final weeks to take his tally to 40 for the season.
Another Personal Best
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi would exceed that tally the following season, but 2011/12 was also to be Ronaldo’s best to date. He netted 46 in the league and a sublime 63 in all competition as Real Madrid reclaimed the Liga title from Barcelona.
His goal against Barca in a 2-1 Liga win at Camp Nou all but ensured Real Madrid’s first title since 2008. Indeed, 2011/12 was the season Ronaldo started to match his performance in El Clasico with those against the league’s lesser lights.
Ronaldo has surpassed the 50-goal mark for Real Madrid in each of the seasons since and in the 2013/14 campaign he netted a record 17 in 11 Champions League matches as the club finally achieved La Decima —their 10th European Cup.
Another stunning season, of course, saw Ronaldo retain the FIFA Ballon d'Or which he has also won the previous year.
International Level
Ronaldo was first called up to the senior Portugal squad in August 2003, and made the final cut for Euro 2004, where he scored two goals. But on home turf, Portugal lost to Greece in the final.
Seven goals helped his country qualify for the 2006 World Cup, but at the big event in Germany, he could only muster a penalty against Iran as Portugal lost to France in the semi-finals.
Ronaldo again flourished in qualifying for Euro 2008, but was disappointing when the big event came around as Portugal went out in the quarter-finals.
Despite a scintillating first season in a Real Madrid shirt, Ronaldo again looked bereft at his next major tournament—the 2010 World Cup in South Africa . He netted in the 7-0 rout of North Korea, but like many of the tournament’s other major stars, failed to deliver and did little as Portugal bowed out to eventual winners Spain in the second round.
Ronaldo's three goals helped Portugal to the semi-finals of Euro 2012, after he had made a slow start to the tournament. The 2014 World Cup was a deep disappointment, though, as a knee tendonitis problem undermined his displays. He scored just once as Portugal bowed out in the group stage amid speculation that he did not believe in his teammates.
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Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ronaldo
Personal information
Date of birth
(1976-09-18) 18 September 1976 (age 47)
Place of birth
Itaguaí, Brazil
Height
1.83 m
Playing position
Youth career
1990–1993
São Cristóvão
Senior career*
Years
1993–1994
34
(34)
1994–1996
46
(42)
1996–1997
37
(34)
1997–2002
68
(49)
2002–2007
127
(83)
2007–2008
20
(9)
2009–2011
52
(29)
Total
National team
1993
Brazil U17
7
(5)
1996
Brazil U23
8
(6)
1994–2011
98
(62)
Men's
1997 Saudi Arabia
1997 Bolivia
1999 Paraguay
1995 Uruguay
Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima ( born 18 September 1976), known as Ronaldo or Ronaldo Nazário , is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker . He is the owner of Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro and owner and president of Segunda Division club Real Valladolid . Nicknamed O Fenômeno ('The Phenomenon') and R9 , he is considered one of the greatest players of all time. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, Ronaldo has been an influence for a generation of strikers that have followed. His individual accolades include being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times and winning two Ballon d'Or awards.
Ronaldo started his career at Cruzeiro and moved to PSV in 1994. He joined Barcelona in 1996 for a then world record transfer fee and at 20 years old, he was named the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year, making him the youngest recipient of the award. In 1997, Inter Milan broke the world record fee to sign Ronaldo, making him the first player since Diego Maradona to break the world transfer record twice. At 21, he received the 1997 Ballon d'Or and remains the youngest recipient of the award. By the age of 23, Ronaldo had scored over 200 goals for club and country. However, after a series of knee injuries and recuperation, he was inactive for almost three years. Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2002 and won the 2002–03 La Liga title. He had spells at AC Milan and Corinthians before retiring in 2011, having suffered further injuries.
Ronaldo played for Brazil in 98 matches, scoring 62 goals and is the third-highest goalscorer for his national team. At age 17, he was the youngest member of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup . At the 1998 FIFA World Cup , Ronaldo received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament after he helped Brazil reach the final, where he suffered a convulsive fit hours before kick-off. He won the 2002 FIFA World Cup , starring in a front three with Ronaldinho and Rivaldo . Ronaldo scored twice in the final and received the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer. This achievement, viewed as "redemption" for what occurred at the previous World Cup, saw Ronaldo named the 2002 FIFA World Player of the Year, receive the 2002 Ballon d'Or, and for his return from injury, won the Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup , Ronaldo scored his 15th World Cup goal, a tournament record at the time. He also won the 1997 Copa América, where he became the player of the tournament and the 1999 Copa América, where he was the top goalscorer.
Ronaldo was one of the most marketable sportsmen in the world during his playing career. He was named in the FIFA 100 list of the greatest living players compiled in 2004 by Pelé and was inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame, Italian Football Hall of Fame, Inter Milan Hall of Fame and Real Madrid Hall of Fame. In 2020, Ronaldo was named in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team , a greatest all-time XI published by France Football magazine. Ronaldo has continued his work as a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, a position to which he was appointed in 2000. Ronaldo became the majority owner of Real Valladolid in September 2018, after buying 51% of the club's shares. In December 2021, he bought a controlling stake in his boyhood club Cruzeiro, investing $70 million in the club.
1997–1999: World record transfer and Ballon d'Or win
1999–2002: recurring injury problems, 2002–2005: ballon d'or win and la liga championship, 2005–2007: final two seasons, 2009–2010: paulistão and copa do brasil, 2011: retirement, summer olympics and copa américa, 1998 fifa world cup, 2002 fifa world cup, 2006 fifa world cup, farewell match and sporadic appearances, style of play and legacy, real valladolid, nike sponsorship, international.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born on 18 September 1976 in Itaguaí as the third child of Nélio Nazário de Lima Snr. and Sônia dos Santos Barata. Ronaldo has a brother, Nélio Jr. His parents separated when he was 11, and Ronaldo dropped out of school shortly afterward to pursue a career in football. He played on the streets of Bento Ribeiro, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. His mother states, "I always found him on the street playing ball with friends when he should have been in school. I know, I lost my battle." He joined the Social Ramos futsal team at the age of 12 and led the city's youth league in scoring with a record 166 goals in his first season which included scoring 11 of his team's 12 goals in a single game. Crediting futsal for developing his skills, Ronaldo has said, "futsal will always be my first love." His coach from Social Ramos, Alirio Carvalho, says: "What was special about Ronaldo was his attitude. It was as if he had come from the moon. Nothing disturbed him, nothing overawed him, nothing threw him off his game."
Spotted by former Brazilian player Jairzinho , who was coaching São Cristóvão, Ronaldo played for the São Cristóvão youth team. Under the guidance of coach Alfredo Sampaio, he progressed quickly through the ranks, playing for the clubs' under-17 and under-20 teams while only 15. Ronaldo's agents in Brazil, Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins, signed him as a 13-year-old. Pitta stated, "We saw right away that he could be something different than most other players." Recognized as a child prodigy, Jairzinho recommended the then 16-year-old to his former club Cruzeiro.
Club career
Ronaldo quickly attracted attention from big clubs, and his agents rejected offers from Botafogo and São Paulo . He was turned down by Flamengo , the team he supported as a boy, after missing practice due to an inability to afford the fare for the hour-long bus ride. Jairzinho saw Ronaldo's potential and helped get him a move to Cruzeiro . Ronaldo's agents accepted an offer of €50,000 from the club, and he scored four goals on his youth team debut.
Three months after arriving at Cruzeiro, Ronaldo made his professional debut on 25 May 1993 against Caldense in the Minas Gerais State Championship. His first senior goal came in a friendly during a tour of Portugal, scoring a goal against Belenenses and generally impressing new coach Carlos Alberto Silva, enough to become a first team regular. During the tour, his performance against Porto impressed enough that they bid $500,000, which was turned down by club president César Masci.
Upon returning from the 1993 summer tour, he would score 20 goals in 21 games for Cruzeiro until the end of the year. On 5 October 1993 he scored his first senior career hat-trick against Chilean side Colo-Colo (6-1) in the first home leg of the Supercopa Libertadores. He scored two more in the second leg, further three against Uruguayan team Nacional , and finished as the tournament's top-scorer with 8 goals, being the youngest to do so in the history of the Supercopa Libertadores.
On 7 November 1993 he came to national public attention once more by scoring five goals in Cruzeiro's 6-0 home win against Bahia in the 1993 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and became the youngest South-American in history to score a league hat-trick, only behind Pelé .
Ronaldo scored a total of 44 goals in 47 games with Cruzeiro in two seasons, leading them to their first Copa do Brasil in 1993, and the Minas Gerais State Championship in 1994.
Ronaldo joined PSV after the 1994 World Cup . He was selected for the tournament despite being just 17, but did not play in any games. His Brazil teammate Romário having played for PSV from 1988 to 1993 advised Ronaldo to move to the club. On 28 August 1994, Ronaldo scored ten minutes into his debut against Vitesse, and scored a brace on his home debut against Go Ahead Eagles. He scored 30 league goals in his first season in the Netherlands, which included seven braces and a hat-trick against Utrecht . After scoring a hat-trick in PSV's game against Bayer Leverkusen in the 1994–95 UEFA Cup, Leverkusen striker and Germany World Cup winner Rudi Völler stated in a post match press conference, "Never in my life have I seen an 18-year-old play in this way." His dribbles from midfield caught the attention of many in the sport, with future Barcelona teammate Luis Enrique stating, "I'd seen him on television at PSV and thought ‘wow'. Then he came to Barcelona. He's the most spectacular player I've ever seen. He did things I'd never seen before. We're now used to seeing Messi dribble past six players, but not then. Ronaldo was a beast."
Nick Miller, match reporter for The Guardian , writes, "What's striking about Ronaldo in that first year at PSV is how complete he looks, even as a skinny teenager. Everything that would come to define him – the lightning pace, the blurry stepovers, the implausible impression that he was faster with the ball than without it, even the exceptional upper-body strength – was all there." Rob Smyth added, "In many ways Ronaldo was the first PlayStation footballer. His stepover was a form of hypnosis, and his signature trick, the elastico, could certainly have come from a computer screen." Ronaldo's second season was marred by a knee injury which kept him out of most of the campaign, but he still averaged nearly a goal a game, scoring 19 goals in 21 appearances, including a UEFA Cup four-goal haul against Finnish side MyPa. With PSV, Ronaldo won the Dutch Cup in 1996 and he was Eredivisie top scorer in 1995. In his two seasons at the club he scored 54 goals in 58 games.
During his spell at PSV, Ronaldo attracted the attention of both Inter Milan and FC Barcelona . It was Barcelona that was willing to pay the then world record fee of $19.5 million, and he joined the club on 17 July 1996. According to manager Bobby Robson , he signed an eight-year contract, and would play up front alone.
During the 1996–97 season, Ronaldo scored 47 goals in 49 games in all competitions, with his goal celebration invariably the same with his arms outstretched like the statue of Christ the Redeemer that watches over his native Rio de Janeiro. He helped Barcelona to the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup title, capping the season with the winning goal in the final, and to a win in the 1996 Supercopa de España. He also won La Liga top scorer award in 1997 with 34 goals in 37 games, and the European Golden Shoe. Until the 2008–09 season, Ronaldo remained the last player to score more than 30 goals in La Liga.
Ronaldo was at his physical peak at Barcelona, and many of his 47 goals involved him rounding the goalkeeper before slotting the ball into the net. By January 1997, at 20 years old, he was touted to be the next "great" in football, being viewed as the heir to Pelé , Diego Maradona , Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten . Speaking to The New York Times regarding Ronaldo later that season, Robson said "I don't think I've ever seen a player at 20 have so much". World Soccer magazine featured Ronaldo on its cover in the same year under the headline 'The Best Ever?'. Óscar García, Ronaldo's teammate that season, stated, "Back then, he was all fibre and muscle. He was a perfect physical specimen. Such incredible power matched to his technical skills could make him unstoppable." José Mourinho , who worked as an interpreter at Barcelona, referred to Ronaldo as "the greatest player I have ever seen in my life", adding, "I have no doubts. Ronaldo is the best my eyes have seen", and in 2014 regarded him as the best player post-Diego Maradona.
Arguably Ronaldo's most memorable Barcelona goal was scored at SD Compostela on 11 October 1996; having received the ball inside his own half, he evaded a cynical tackle of the first opponent with a drag back, before running away from another and ran towards goal, going past two more defenders in the box with close ball control, before finishing into the bottom corner of the net. The camera then cut to manager Robson who had got up off the bench and clasped his head in disbelief at what he had seen. The footage of the goal was later used in a Nike advert with a voiceover asking: "Imagine you asked God to be the best player in the world, and he listened to you", and the goal was said to have been replayed 160 times on the main Spanish television channels in the 48 hours following the game. Half-way through the season, Barcelona agreed in principle to extend his contract to 2006, doubling his salary in the process. A hat-trick against Valencia , the third goal of which saw him dissect two Valencia defenders before striking the ball into the net, saw Barcelona fans waving white handkerchiefs as an expression of admiration for an exceptional performance. Sid Lowe of Sports Illustrated states, "That season Ronaldo was unstoppable. He was slim and powerful, skillful, fast and deadly. He was ridiculously good." At the end of 1996, aged 20, Ronaldo became the youngest player to win FIFA World Player of the Year.
Inter Milan
Ronaldo's time at Barcelona lasted one season, as there were problems with the renegotiation of his contract. Barcelona thought there was an agreement in place, with Barcelona president Josep Lluís Núñez saying "He's ours for life", but when the parties reconvened the following day, the agreement collapsed, with Núñez admitting: "It's all over, Ronaldo is going". Speaking to ESPN , Ronaldo stated, "I had reached an agreement to renew my contract just a month before that season finished, but a week later the lawyer and the president of Barcelona agreed that that contract was absurd." Paying the buy out clause fee in his contract, Inter Milan signed him in the summer of 1997 for a then world record fee of $27 million, making him the second player, after Diego Maradona , to break the world transfer record twice. He signed a five-year contract with the Italians, and was unveiled to 4000 Inter fans at their training ground. His debut came on 27 July during the pre-season fixture against Manchester United . His competitive debut came on the opening day of the 1997–98 season against Brescia .
Ronaldo adapted to the Italian style of the game in his first season, finishing with 25 Serie A goals, and was named Serie A Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo started to develop into a complete forward. He began racking up assists, became first-choice penalty taker, taking and scoring freekicks. Halfway through his first season he won FIFA World Player of the Year for the second time, and collected the Ballon d'Or . During his time with Inter, he scored several goals against city rivals AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. Ronaldo and prolific Fiorentina striker Gabriel Batistuta were the two best strikers in Serie A, with their duels the most anticipated in Italy. Ronaldo's goal celebrations often saw his Inter teammates congratulating him by kneeling down and pretending to shine his shoe. Ronaldo scored a trademark goal against Lazio in the 1998 UEFA Cup Final. Running through defence to go one on one with Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani , Ronaldo feinted to go right then left, without touching the ball, leaving Marchegiani on his backside, before going right and slotting the ball into the net. His Inter teammate Youri Djorkaeff stated; "Ronaldo was phenomenal. He proved that he was a cut above the rest that season." After the 1998 FIFA World Cup , where he was named player of the tournament, Ronaldo was widely regarded as the best striker in the world. By the end of the 1998–99 season, he was appointed Inter Milan captain.
"The knee injuries suffered at Inter Milan took away the explosiveness that made him possibly the greatest young footballer of all time, a futuristic fusion of speed, strength and skill. That is not to belittle Ronaldo's achievements in the second half of his career, when he scored eight goals in a single World Cup [in 2002 ] and became the first Ronaldo to receive a standing ovation at Old Trafford [in 2003], but it is the memory of the early years that puts mist in the eyes of grown men."
After two seasons with Inter, A. C. Milan defender Paolo Maldini viewed Ronaldo and Diego Maradona as the two best players he ever faced, stating, "Ronaldo during his first two years at Inter was a phenomenon." Inter had high hopes going into the 1999–2000 season with their attack including Ronaldo and Italian stars Roberto Baggio and Christian Vieri . However, on 21 November, during a Serie A match against Lecce , Ronaldo felt his knee buckle and was forced to limp off the field. A medical examination confirmed that the striker had ruptured a tendon in his knee and would require surgery. During his first comeback on 12 April 2000, he played only six minutes during the first leg of the Coppa Italia final against Lazio before suffering a complete rupture of the knee-cap tendons. Ronaldo's physiotherapist Nilton Petrone stated, "his knee-cap actually exploded", and called it "the worst football injury" he's ever seen.
Ronaldo was forced to miss the entire 2000–01 season and much of the two seasons either side of it. Since his Inter teammate Javier Zanetti had replaced him as the team captain during his absence, he eventually inherited the captain's armband in late 2001. After two operations and rehabilitation, Ronaldo came back for the 2002 World Cup , helping Brazil win their fifth World Cup title. Later in 2002, he won the FIFA World Player of the Year award for the third time, and transferred from Inter to Real Madrid . Ronaldo was given his most recognizable nickname, Il Fenomeno , by the Italian press while playing there. His Inter teammate Djorkaeff stated, "when we were training, we would practically stop to watch him. It was extraordinary." Prior to his November 1999 injury Ronaldo had registered 42 goals in 58 Serie A games, in what was the hardest league to score in with the most advanced defensive strategies and the world's best defenders. After five years he had played 99 games and scored 59 goals for Nerazzurri . Ronaldo's performances at the club – especially the first two seasons before injury – saw him named among the four inaugural inductees into the Inter Milan Hall of Fame in 2018.
Real Madrid
Having signed for Real Madrid for €46 million, his jersey sales broke all records on the first day. Ronaldo was part of the Galácticos era of global stars signed by the club every summer, which included Zinedine Zidane , Luís Figo , Roberto Carlos and David Beckham . He was sidelined through injury until October 2002 which added to the fans anticipation. Ronaldo scored twice on his debut against Alavés , the first 61 seconds after coming on. That same reception was observed at the final game of the season against Athletic Bilbao , where Ronaldo scored to finish his first season with 23 league goals and seal La Liga title for 2003. He also won an Intercontinental Cup in 2002 and Supercopa de España in 2003, scoring in both finals.
In the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford , knocking the English team out of the competition. Completing his hat-trick with a swerving strike from 30 yards, Ronaldo was substituted off after 67 minutes, and was given a standing ovation from both sets of fans. Reflecting on the ovation given to him from the oppositions' fans, Ronaldo stated that "it remains a very beautiful, very special moment". Manchester United defender Wes Brown commented, "He was just unstoppable. A young Ronaldo [before a series of injuries] would have been even more dangerous, but it shows how good a player he was. Whenever he wanted to turn it on he could, on any stage, in any stadium". Ronaldo scored in a 2–1 home win over Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, but injury crucially kept him out of most of the second leg defeat where Real were eliminated.
In the 2003–04 season, Madrid were on track to win the treble, until Ronaldo was injured towards the end of the season; they subsequently lost the Copa del Rey final, were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals to AS Monaco , and suffered a league form breakdown. During that second season at the club, Ronaldo scored one of the fastest goals in the club's history when he netted after 15 seconds in a league match against Atlético Madrid at the Bernabéu on 3 December 2003. Three days later he helped to ensure Real's first league victory over Barcelona at the Nou Camp in 20 years when he scored the second goal in a 2–1 victory over his former club. He finished the season as La Liga's top scorer with 25 goals and received the Pichichi Trophy for a second time, despite Madrid losing the league title to Valencia .
In his final two seasons at Real Madrid, Ronaldo missed a number of games with injuries and weight issues, and with the acquisition of Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2006, he grew further out of favour with the manager Fabio Capello . Speaking in 2017 on Ronaldo's weight issues and lack of fitness at Madrid, in addition to his ability, Capello summed up the conflicting emotions he has with the Brazilian, "the most difficult player to handle was the best I coached: Ronaldo, il Fenomeno."
In four and a half seasons at the club, Ronaldo scored over a century of goals, becoming the fifth foreigner at Madrid to achieve the feat after Argentine Alfredo Di Stéfano , Hungarian Ferenc Puskás , Mexican Hugo Sánchez and Chilean Iván Zamorano . Although the knee injuries before 2002 meant he "was robbed of the explosiveness of his early years" ( FourFourTwo magazine) by the time he signed for Real Madrid, Ronaldo was named by Marca as a member of the "Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history ".
While past his 1990s prime, Ronaldo still drew praise from his Madrid colleagues, with Zidane stating, "Without hesitation, Ronaldo is the best player I ever played with or against. He had such an ease with the ball. Every day I trained with him, I saw something different, something new, something beautiful." Michael Owen , who joined Madrid in 2004, acknowledged that he never got the chance to play with Ronaldo in his prime when "he had absolute blistering speed and strength, mesmerizing foot speed, he was just a blur, he'd be that fast", before adding, "even in training, he showed more than enough to convince me that I would have loved to play with him at his peak." Teammates for six months, Van Nistelrooy said, "Ronaldo was the best natural talent I ever played with. His innate ability went beyond anything that I'd ever seen or played alongside."
On 18 January 2007, it was reported that Ronaldo agreed terms with AC Milan for a transfer of €8.05 million. Departing Real Madrid having been the club's leading goalscorer for all of his four full seasons, Ronaldo thanked everyone except Capello, "I would like to thank the fans who've supported me all the time and thank all the teammates that I've had here and all the coaches I've had – except one". Capello, who dropped him due to weight issues, commented, "I wish him the best of luck in doing what he used to do which is being a great player." On 25 January, Ronaldo flew from Madrid to Milan , with statements on the club's website stating Ronaldo was in Milan for a medical, and that a meeting had been arranged with Real Madrid officials to discuss and finalize his transfer to the Milanese club. On 26 January, Ronaldo successfully completed his medical tests at the Milanello training complex under the supervision of club doctors, and the transfer was completed on 30 January. Wearing the number 99 jersey, he made his debut as a substitute on 11 February 2007 in the 2–1 victory over Livorno . The next game at Siena , on 17 February, Ronaldo scored twice and assisted on a third goal in his first start for Milan, as they won 4–3. In his first season, Ronaldo scored seven goals in 14 appearances.
After his move to Milan, Ronaldo joined the list of the few players to have played for both Inter Milan and AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, and is one of few players to have scored for both rival teams in the Milan derby game (for Inter in the 1998–99 season and for AC Milan in the 2006–07 season), the others being players such as Giuseppe Meazza , Zlatan Ibrahimović , Enrico Candiani and Aldo Cevenini. Ronaldo is also one of the few players to have started for Real Madrid and FC Barcelona , which also boasts a heated rivalry . Ronaldo, however, has never transferred directly between rival clubs. Ronaldo only played 300-plus minutes in his second season at Milan due to recurring injury problems and weight issues. Ronaldo's only goals in the 2007–08 season, besides his goal against Lecce in pre-season, came in a 5–2 victory against Napoli at the San Siro , where he scored an emotional double. It was also the first time Milan's much hyped attacking trio of Kaká , Alexandre Pato and Ronaldo, known as Ka-Pa-Ro , played together.
Despite tremendous success over the past decade, Ronaldo never won the UEFA Champions League in his club career. In 2019, FourFourTwo magazine named him the best player never to win the competition; in 2020, Sky Sports ranked him the second–best player (after Diego Maradona ) never to win the Champions League or European Cup. Ronaldo stated, "I live football with a passion that doesn't give me any peace for not winning the Champions League – it's a trophy everyone would love to win." In 2011, Paul Wilson wrote in The Guardian , "Ronaldo was unlucky in his timing or his choice of club – for there is no doubt that at his very best he would have walked into any club in the world." During the 2006–07 season, though Milan won the 2006–07 title, Ronaldo was cup-tied with Madrid and ineligible to take part. The closest that he came to Champions League success was in 2003 when he helped Real Madrid to the semi-finals, in which they lost to Juventus .
On 13 February 2008, Ronaldo suffered a severe season-ending knee injury while jumping for a cross in Milan 1–1 draw with Livorno, and was stretchered off and taken to a hospital. The club confirmed after the match that Ronaldo had ruptured the kneecap ligament in his left knee. It marked the third such occurrence of this injury, which he suffered twice to his right knee in 1999 and 2000. Teammate Clarence Seedorf stated, "My heart stopped beating because it was like watching a repeat of the injury he suffered playing for Inter Milan against Lazio [in 2000]. His reaction was the same." Silvio Berlusconi told Italy's RAI TV, "He fears for his career. I called him last evening and told him to believe in himself. He has enormous physical potential." Ronaldo was released by Milan at the end of the season, as his contract expired and was not renewed.
Corinthians
Ronaldo trained with Rio de Janeiro based Brazilian club Flamengo during his recovery from knee surgery, and the club's board of directors said that the doors were open for him to join. On 9 December, however, Ronaldo signed a one-year deal with Flamengo's league rival Corinthians . The announcement received much publicity in the Brazilian press about his choice of Corinthians over Flamengo, since Ronaldo publicly declared himself a Flamengo fan. Rio-based sports newspaper Lance! called Ronaldo a "phenomenal traitor", and some angry fans burned Ronaldo shirts outside the Flamengo headquarters. Ronaldo responded that playing for Corinthians was the only option open to him. "I understand perfectly, I'm openly a Flamengo fan. But I was training with Flamengo for four months and didn't receive any offer. Corinthians made an offer that will let me continue my career."
Ronaldo played his first match for Corinthians on 4 March 2009, a Copa do Brasil match against Itumbiara at Estádio Juscelino Kubitschek, in which he came as a substitute for Jorge Henrique. Ronaldo scored his first goal for Corinthians on 8 March 2009 in a Campeonato Paulista match against Palmeiras . Scoring eight goals in nine matches, his form led to calls for his return to the Brazil national team – nearly 70% of respondents in a poll for the O Globo newspaper voted that he should be reinstated, with the country's president Lula also calling for his immediate return. He scored twice in a 3–1 win against local rivals Santos in the first leg of the state championship final, with Santos idol Pelé looking on from the stands. His second goal, a chip over the Santos goalkeeper from 30 yards out, sent the Corinthians fans into hysteria. Ultimately, he helped Corinthians win the Campeonato Paulista with 10 goals in 14 games.
Ronaldo scored in Corinthians 4–2 aggregate defeat of Internacional in the final of the 2009 Copa do Brasil, helping the club win the trophy for the third time (the second of his career), thus earning a spot in the Copa Libertadores 2010. Following an injury lay off he returned on 20 September in a match against Goiás , and a week later scored for Corinthians in a draw against São Paulo FC . He finished the 2009 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with 12 goals in 20 matches.
In February 2010, Ronaldo signed a contract extension with Corinthians that would keep him with the club until the end of 2011, and said he would then retire. Commenting on his weight issues following this announcement, Brian Homewood of The Guardian states, "Sadly, Ronaldo's celebrity is now more of a draw than his skills on the pitch – Coldplay , Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres and actor Hugh Jackman have all visited São Paulo to get a picture with the roly‑poly star."
In February 2011, after Corinthians were eliminated from the 2011 Copa Libertadores by the Colombian team Deportes Tolima, Ronaldo announced his retirement from football, concluding an 18-year career. In an emotional press conference on 14 February, he cited pain and hypothyroidism as the reasons for his premature retirement. He discovered he had hypothyroidism – a condition which slows down metabolism and causes weight gain – during tests with Milan in 2007.
The player said that the problem could be solved by taking hormones, but this practice is forbidden in football and would lead to a suspension for doping. However, doctors disagree that such treatment would be confused with doping, with some publicly claiming that Ronaldo had lied when he said could not treat his hypothyroidism. Corinthians' own doctor said that Ronaldo did not have this disease. Hypothyroidism is usually associated with a slight weight gain (eminently due to fluid accumulation, not fat gain) and difficulty getting rid of extra pounds.
Ronaldo admitted his body had finally succumbed to the crippling litany of injuries that had blighted his career: "It's very hard to leave something that made me so happy. Mentally I wanted to continue but I have to acknowledge that I lost to my body. The head wants to go on but the body can't take any more. I think of an action but I can't do it the way I want to. It's time to go."
International career
Ronaldo made his international debut for Brazil on 23 March 1994 in a friendly match in Recife against Argentina . His first senior goal for Brazil came on 4 May 1994 in a 3–0 friendly win against Iceland . He went to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States aged 17, but did not play as Brazil went on to win the tournament. He stated he was "overjoyed" at the experience. He was then known as Ronaldinho ("little Ronaldo" in Portuguese), because Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus , his older teammate, was also called Ronaldo and later nicknamed Ronaldão ("big Ronaldo") to further distinguish them. Another player, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , now widely known as Ronaldinho, was called Ronaldinho Gaúcho when he joined the Brazil team in 1999.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta , Ronaldo used the name Ronaldinho again, since centre-back Ronaldo Guiaro, two years his senior, was one of his teammates. Brazil went on to win the bronze medal. Ronaldo also represented Brazil in the 1995 Copa América (finishing second) and won both the 1997 and the 1999 editions of the tournament. He was named player of the tournament in 1997, was the top scorer in 1999 and scored in the finals of both, against Bolivia in 1997 and Uruguay in 1999. He also took part in the friendly Tournoi de France in 1997, preceding the 1998 FIFA World Cup, scoring a goal as Brazil became runners-up. Ronaldo starred alongside Romário , dubbed the Ro-Ro attack, at the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, helping Brazil win their first ever Confederations Cup title where he finished as the third-highest scorer with 4 goals, scoring a hat-trick against Australia in the final. On the combination of Ronaldo and Romário, Will Sharp writes: "...to the elation of all those fortunate enough to have watched them, they found themselves together, fated with the opportunity to forge one of the most outrageous offensive pairings the game has ever seen. Their partnership was brief but it was inexplicably brilliant."
"The way he combined powerhouse athleticism with a poetic touch made for an awesome sight. In the 1990s, in his physical pomp, in his free-flowing prime, there was nothing remotely like him. By the time the 1998 World Cup came along his reputation had extended to the point of fully formed marvel. A happening."
Ronaldo entered the 1998 FIFA World Cup billed as the world's greatest player by reporters in the sport. Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian writes, "In 1998, no one was as ferociously talented as Ronaldo, whose supernatural mixture of power, pace and skill had made him the player every child in the playground wanted to be; at the age of 21, the hopes and dreams of a nation rested on his shoulders."
Ronaldo scored four goals and made three assists en route to the final, scoring once and assisting Bebeto's goal in a 3–0 win against Morocco in the team's second group stage match, netting twice in a 4–1 win against Chile in the round of 16, set–up two goals in Brazil's 3–2 victory over Denmark in the quarter-finals, and scored once in the 1–1 draw against the Netherlands in the semi-finals, also netting Brazil's first penalty in the 4–2 shoot–out victory. Hours before the final against France , Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit . At first, he was removed from the starting lineup 72 minutes before the match, and the team sheet (with Edmundo as his replacement) was submitted to the FIFA delegate. The starting line up without Ronaldo was released to a stunned world media. The BBC's John Motson stated, "The scenes in the commentary box have been absolute mayhem and chaos." However, shortly before kick off, after pleading that he felt fine and requested to play, Ronaldo was reinstated by Brazil coach Mário Zagallo .
Ronaldo was the last Brazilian player out of the tunnel as the teams entered the field. During the playing of the Brazil national anthem the camera focused on him throughout, with Ronaldo showing little emotion. Steinberg states that Ronaldo "sleepwalked" through the final, which also saw him injured in a collision with French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez . Zagallo admitted the fears over Ronaldo affected his team psychologically, and stated "for the whole of the first half I was wondering whether to take him off", but feared a public outcry in Brazil had he done so. Brazil lost the match to hosts France 3–0. Ronaldo later reflected: "We lost the World Cup but I won another cup – my life."
An inquest was launched in Brazil, with team doctor Lídio Toledo telling the commission "imagine if I stopped Ronaldo playing and Brazil lost. At that moment I'd have to go and live on the North Pole." Adrian Williams, professor of clinical neurology at Birmingham University , said that Ronaldo should not have played, that he would have been feeling the after effects of the seizure, and "there is no way that he would have been able to perform to the best of his ability within 24 hours of his first fit – if it was his first fit." Despite his sub-par performance in the final due to his seizure hours earlier, Ronaldo was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament for his performances leading up to the final, and finished the tournament as the joint-third highest scorer.
A conspiracy surrounded Nike , the sportswear company who sponsored Ronaldo and the Brazilian national team, with some in Brazil believing the company had forced Ronaldo to play. The parliamentary inquiry was unable to find any wider conspiracy, although the Brazilian public remained unconvinced. Reporting for CNN , Don Riddell wrote, "It's one of the great mysteries of our time: not the Loch Ness Monster, Stonehenge or the Lost City of Atlantis; it's the case of the missing striker – not so much a whodunit, more a kind of a what the heck happened?"
Prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup , Ronaldo had barely played since rupturing the cruciate ligament in his right knee in April 2000, and he missed Brazil's entire qualification campaign where, in his absence, the team had been poor. Tim Vickery writes, "Without Ronaldo, Brazil were a shambles, fortunate even to get to the tournament. With him, it was a different story." In a remarkable comeback from injury that had threatened his career, Ronaldo led Brazil to their record fifth World Cup title, receiving the Golden Boot as top scorer with eight goals. Many publications regarded his personal triumph as "redemption" for what occurred at the previous World Cup. Ronaldo spoke about his obsession with lifting the World Cup trophy , having missed out in 1998. "I used to visualise the trophy in front of my eyes and imagine what a wonderful feeling it must be to hold it up in the air. It was a fabulous feeling actually to hold it in my hands and kiss it." Dubbed the "three R's", Ronaldo starred in a formidable attack alongside Rivaldo and Ronaldinho , and the trio were named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.
Ronaldo scored against every opponent in the tournament except in the quarter-finals against England . The match-winner against Turkey in the semi-final, with the winning goal a toe-poke finish with little back-lift while on the run – a finish he learned while playing futsal in his youth – the final whistle saw fans behind the goal hoist huge white letters to spell out his name, akin to the Hollywood Sign . Much attention was on his haircut – in which his head was shaved except the forelock – done as a deliberate distraction to shift media attention away from a leg injury. He revealed that "when I arrived in training with this haircut everybody stopped talking about the injury". In the final against Germany in Yokohama , Japan, Ronaldo scored twice in Brazil's 2–0 win and tied Pelé 's Brazilian record of 12 career World Cup goals. Ronaldo was the first player to seek out German players to offer his condolences, before he was congratulated by Pelé when receiving his World Cup winners medal. Gérard Saillant, the French surgeon who operated on Ronaldo's knee, was in the crowd as his guest, and stated after the game; "This gives hope to everyone who is injured, even those who aren't sportsmen, to see that by fighting you can make it. He's back to where he was; it's hugely satisfying and I am very moved."
Ronaldo received a number of accolades for his achievement, including the Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year and the BBC World Sport Star of the Year, and in December 2002 he dedicated his third FIFA World Player of the Year award to the medical team which helped him recover. In a 2017 interview with Fox Sports , Ronaldo stated, "the best team I played in was the Brazilian one in 2002, we felt that we could always score. It was a team without any vanity, or individuals. The collective was important."
On 2 June 2004, Ronaldo scored an unusual hat-trick of penalties for Brazil against arch-rivals Argentina in a 2006 World Cup qualifying match, which put them top of the group. With 10 goals in 15 games, including a goal against Venezuela in the last game to secure first place, Ronaldo was the South American top scorer in Brazil's qualifying campaign. Prior to the tournament, questions were asked of his weight and fitness, but was declared fit for Brazil's opening match with Croatia .
At the 2006 World Cup , Ronaldo was part of a much-publicized "magic quartet" alongside Adriano , Ronaldinho and Kaká . The all-star Brazilian team was promoted as masters of Joga Bonito, "the beautiful game", which was advertised by Nike before the tournament. Although Brazil won their first two group games against Croatia and Australia , Ronaldo was repeatedly jeered for being overweight and slow, but coach Carlos Alberto Parreira kept him in the starting lineup.
With two goals against Japan in the third match, Ronaldo became the 20th player to score in three World Cups and also equalled the all-time World Cup finals scoring record of fourteen, held by Gerd Müller (Ronaldo scored at France 98 , Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006 ). He then broke Müller's record in the Round of 16 match against Ghana by scoring his fifteenth-career World Cup goal. With his third goal of the tournament, Ronaldo became only the second player ever, after Jürgen Klinsmann , to score at least three goals in each of three World Cups. Brazil, however, were knocked out by France 1–0 with a goal by striker Thierry Henry in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo was awarded the Bronze Shoe as the third-highest goal-scorer of the World Cup.
Having been listed in Guinness World Records , Ronaldo stated, "I am proud of my career and of the records I set. But I know that one day they will be broken." Ronaldo and Klinsmann's shared record of at least three goals in three separate World Cup finals was broken by German striker Miroslav Klose , who has a record of at least four goals in each of three tournaments, having netted five at both the 2002 and 2006 finals , and four at the 2010 tournament . Ronaldo finished with fifteen goals in nineteen World Cup matches, for an average of 0.79 per game. His teammate Kaká reflected, "Ronaldo is the best player I have ever played with. I have seen il Fenomeno do things nobody else has ever done."
In February 2011, it was announced that Ronaldo would be given one last match for Brazil, a friendly against Romania in São Paulo on 7 June 2011, five years after his last match with the national team. Brazilian Football Confederation official Ricardo Teixeira stated that it was fitting that his final game should take place in Brazil while representing his nation.
Ronaldo played for 15 minutes in a match that ended with a Brazilian victory with a goal from Fred . Fred celebrated his goal with Ronaldo's famous 'finger wag' celebration along with his Brazilian teammates. Ronaldo was introduced after 30 minutes, partnering 19-year-old Neymar in attack, and had three shots on target which were saved by the Romanian goalkeeper Ciprian Tătărușanu . After the first half ended, Ronaldo made a farewell speech to the crowd. With 62 goals for Brazil Ronaldo retired from international football as the second-highest goalscorer for his country, behind only Pelé (Neymar has since surpassed Pelé, with Ronaldo the third-highest scorer as of September 2023).
On 13 December 2011 Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane played a charity match with their friends against former and current players of the German team Hamburg in the ninth edition of the Match Against Poverty series, which Ronaldo and Zidane established in 2003. In December 2012, Ronaldo and Zidane reunited for the Match Against Poverty in Porto Alegre, Portugal, with the field littered with World Cup winners from France and Brazil, which also saw 1982 World Cup star Zico (Ronaldo's childhood idol) turn out for Ronaldo's team. In January 2013, Ronaldo was named one of the six ambassadors of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Ronaldo was chosen as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2000 as he had the highest global appeal among sportspeople, and he accepted the role as he saw it as "an obligation" to help with causes around the world. Ronaldo played in the UNDP's 11th Match Against Poverty on 4 March 2014 against a Zidane XI in Bern, Switzerland, with proceeds raised helping the recovery efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. Joined by Didier Drogba in attack, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the next year's match on 21 April 2015 in St Etienne, France, with proceeds going towards the African countries most affected by the Ebola epidemic.
On 14 June 2018, Ronaldo featured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. He walked out with a child wearing a Russia 2018 shirt at the beginning, and returned at the end of the ceremony with the official ball of the 2018 World Cup – Adidas Telstar 18 – which was sent into space with the International Space Station crew in March and came back to Earth in early June.
Ronaldo is regarded as one of the greatest and most complete forwards of all time. Nicknamed Il (or O) Fenomeno (the phenomenon), he was a prolific goalscorer, and despite being more of an individualistic attacker, he was also capable of providing assists for his teammates, due to his vision, passing and crossing ability. He was an extremely powerful, fast, and technical player, with excellent movement, as well as being a composed finisher. Highly regarded for his technical ability, Ronaldo was able to use both feet, despite being naturally right footed, and is considered one of the most skilful dribblers in the game. Ronaldo would also operate outside the penalty area before running with the ball towards goal, with Rob Smyth writing, "he played like every attack had a 10-second deadline.. he would explode into life with no warning for defenders." He frequently beat several players when dribbling at speed, and excelled in one on one situations, due to his ball control, acceleration, agility, balance and nimble footwork in his prime.
His coach at Barcelona, Bobby Robson , commented: "Ronaldo could start from the halfway line and the whole stadium would ignite. He was the fastest thing I've ever seen running with the ball. Had he managed to stay free of injury, he had every chance of becoming the best footballer ever." In one on one situations, Ronaldo often used elaborate feints to trick and beat defenders and goalkeepers; he popularised the use of many football tricks such as the elastico and the step over. Sid Lowe of Sports Illustrated wrote, "When he was one on one with the goalkeeper, you knew that he would score. He was so natural, so cool, so utterly in control. He would dip the shoulder, step over, and bang!"
"There were two Ronaldos: the one that returned after long-term injury in 2002 was a great goalscorer, but the 1990s version was a great everything. At his fearsome peak for PSV, Barcelona and Inter Milan he was arguably the most dangerous striker the world has ever seen."
His Barcelona teammate Óscar García observed, "I'd never seen anyone play football with such technical ability, creativity and precision at that incredible speed. What stood out to all of us, from the moment we met Ronnie, was that he could do things which other players found very difficult and make them look easy. But he could also produce those things while running at an unbelievable, explosive pace." With his combination of speed, skill and finishing Ronaldinho called Ronaldo "the most complete striker there has ever been", a view echoed by Zlatan Ibrahimović , who stated, "as a football player, he was complete. There will never, in my view, be a better player than him." The goalscoring idol of Lionel Messi , the Argentine states "Ronaldo was the best striker I've ever seen. He was so fast he could score from nothing." Wanting to emulate Ronaldo growing up, Egypt and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah opined, "The ability, the speed, the intelligence, he had everything". Naming Ronaldo as an inspiration, Wayne Rooney stated, "as an out-and-out forward he was probably the best." The outstanding influence for a generation of strikers, from Karim Benzema to Sergio Agüero , with Romelu Lukaku stating "he changed the dimension of a striker" and could "dribble like a winger, run like a sprinter", Zlatan added, "nobody influenced football and the players who emerged as much as Ronaldo".
Ronaldo, as so many of those who looked up to him acknowledge, changed what it is to be a centre-forward. Every time you see a striker who is expected to hold the ball up, beat players, win headers, shoot from range, drop deep, do everything a striker can possibly do – it might be worth remembering him. He shifted boundaries, challenged convention, just as much as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have altered our perceptions of what a winger might be. Ronaldo, the original Ronaldo, inspired a phalanx of imitators, players we see on our screens every weekend. But he also turned the game so that it will always look just a little bit like him. More than most, he made that No. 9 his own.
Emilio Butragueño stated, "Ronaldo creates a goalscoring opportunity where it doesn't exist. Most strikers need the midfielders and their teammates, but he does not." On his speed of thought, Kaká said "For me the best players are those who are able to think of a play and execute it quickest and in the best way possible, and Ronaldo was the best at that. The speed of thought he had – and the speed he had to carry out his actions – were perfect." Ronaldo was also a strong and powerful player who could shield the ball from the opposition, with former Italian defender Alessandro Nesta (who faced Ronaldo in a high-profile one on one duel in the 1998 UEFA Cup final which was billed as "the best attacker against the best defender in Serie A") stating: "It was the worst experience of my career. Ronaldo is the hardest attacker I've ever had to face." Asked who was the toughest opponent of his career, Fabio Cannavaro responded, "I have no doubt, Ronaldo, the phenomenon. For my generation he was what Maradona or Pelé were for the previous ones. He was unmarkable." Sid Lowe compared Ronaldo's ability to take on a number of opponents on a single run to what rugby player Jonah Lomu was doing in the same era. Regarding Ronaldo's influence on the evolution of the centre-forward role, French former forward Thierry Henry said: "He did things nobody had seen before. He, together with Romário and George Weah , reinvented the centre-forward position. They were the first to drop from the box to pick up the ball in midfield, switch to the flanks, attract and disorientate the central defenders with their runs, their accelerations, their dribbling."
Comparing his natural ability to Roger Federer , Paul MacDonald of Goal wrote, "there's a joy to be had watching something we know to be extremely difficult executed with considerable ease. Ronaldo in his prime was able to do that better than anyone who has ever played the game." A reliance on his superior innate ability is given as a reason for his application in training often not being as high as his teammates – though his knee issues may also have been a factor – with his Brazil teammate Emerson stating "Ronaldo felt he didn't need to work as hard as us, that he could do in two days what the rest of us would take ten days to do. And usually, he was right". On his precocious talent – a talent which saw him become the youngest FIFA World Player of the Year at age 20, and youngest Ballon d'Or recipient aged 21 – Rob Smyth of The Guardian wrote in 2016, "Ronaldo is easily the best of the past 30 years, possibly ever. The other Ronaldo and Messi were brilliant teenagers but had nothing like the same impact at that age. Only Pelé, Diego Maradona and George Best can really compare." Asked to name the best player of his lifetime, José Mourinho said, "Ronaldo, El Fenomeno. Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi have had longer careers. They have remained at the top every day for 15 years. However, if we are talking strictly about talent and skill, nobody surpasses Ronaldo." Mikaël Silvestre states, "I played against [Lionel] Messi and I played with Cristiano at Manchester United, but he [Ronaldo] is something else in terms of speed. Cristiano, maybe you can guess that he has three or four tricks he would use most of the time, but Ronaldo, it was always something different. He was inventing things on the spot, so you can't guide him left or right because he's going to get out of these situations, no matter what". In 2020, Ronaldo was named in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team , a greatest all-time XI published by France Football magazine.
At his physical peak in the 1990s, Ronaldo became severely affected by the knee injuries he suffered from late 1999 onward and the subsequent weight gain during his inactivity, which limited his speed, fitness, and mobility. According to his physiotherapist Nilton Petrone, Ronaldo was vulnerable to injury due to a medical condition combined with his explosive running. "Ronaldo had a problem called trochlear dysplasia. This makes the relationship between the kneecap and the femur a bit unstable. There is no direct surgery for that so the kneecap keeps, for a lack of a better word, "dancing" on the femur. Ronaldo's injuries weren't because his body was weak, but because of his explosive capacity. He didn't just run fast in a straight line, he also changed direction at incredible speed. Ronaldo moved from left to right very fast...so it was obvious, by the way that he played, that injuries were always a possibility". Acknowledging "he was never quite the same" after his knee injury in 2000, with "his pace and sheer brute force diminished in comparison to The Phenomenon" in the 1990s, FourFourTwo magazine ranked him the best player at the 2002 World Cup, adding "he was still a cut above the rest" in the tournament.
Club ownership
In September 2018, Ronaldo became the majority owner of La Liga club Real Valladolid after buying a 51% controlling stake in the club for €30 million. At his unveiling as the club's new owner at Valladolid city hall, Ronaldo stated, "I have gone through many stages in my training in football to prepare for this. Football is all about passion. We want to build the best team possible to compete while also giving information about our management with transparency."
In December 2021, Ronaldo bought a controlling stake in his boyhood club Cruzeiro . Investing 400 million reais ($70 million) in the club, Ronaldo stated he wants to "give back to Cruzeiro and take them where they deserve to be."
Outside football
Personal life.
In 1997, Ronaldo met the Brazilian model and actress Susana Werner on the set of the Brazilian telenovela Malhação when they acted together in three episodes. Although they never married, they began a long-term relationship and lived together in Milan until the beginning of 1999.
In December 1999, Ronaldo married Brazilian footballer Milene Domingues, at the time pregnant with the couple's first son, Ronald, who was born in Milan , on 6 April 2000. The marriage lasted four years. In 2005, Ronaldo became engaged to Brazilian model and MTV VJ Daniella Cicarelli , who became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage; the relationship lasted only three months after their luxurious wedding at the Château de Chantilly. The ceremony reportedly cost £700,000 (€896,000).
Despite his fame – a 2003 poll by Nike listed him the world's most famous sportsperson (and third most famous person overall) – Ronaldo is protective of his privacy, including with teammates, stating in an interview with The Telegraph , "each [player] has his own private life, and no one thinks about anyone else's private life. Or talks about it." By 2003 he was fluent in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian, and had a good understanding of English.
In a 2005 interview with Folha de S.Paulo , Ronaldo revealed that, somewhat unexpectedly, he identified racially as white, generating a wider conversation about the complex role of race in Brazil. Ronaldo's father, Nelio Nazario, stated, "He knows full well that he's black. Actually, at the time, I thought it was some philosophy, something to that effect. Because he knows he's black." According to a study led by geneticist Sérgio Pena of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, most Brazilians often have a misconception about their roots. "The maternal ancestry of the Brazilian white was one-third African, one third Amerindian, and one third European. An individual who considers himself white may be genomically more African than an individual who considers himself to be brown or black."
In 2008, Ronaldo married his fiancée Maria Beatriz Antony. She gave birth to their first daughter, named Maria Sophia, in Rio de Janeiro, on 24 December 2008. In April 2009, the family moved to a new penthouse in São Paulo. On 6 April 2010, Maria Beatriz Antony gave birth to their second daughter. The girl, born in São Paulo, was named Maria Alice, and was born exactly 10 years after her older brother Ronald.
In December 2010, Ronaldo and his family moved to a new mansion in São Paulo. Also in December, Ronaldo took a paternity test and was confirmed to be the father of a boy named Alexander, born in April 2005. The boy was born after a brief relationship between Ronaldo and Michele Umezu, a Brazilian waitress who Ronaldo first met in Tokyo in 2002. Ronaldo and Maria Beatriz Antony divorced in 2012.
In a 2011 interview with the BBC , former Real Madrid teammate Steve McManaman spoke about Ronaldo's personality. "He could go in a restaurant, and I could go in with him, and you're not just there with close friends. He invites everybody. You'd be at a table with him and it'd be a judge sitting opposite talking to a politician with someone off the street listening in. So he just had this amazing aura, where everyone wanted to join him. Sometimes there'd be 20 to 30 people sitting at meal times with him. He was a wonderful person. Everybody would second that, no matter what club he played for."
Ronaldo was the co-owner of A1 Team Brazil, along with former F1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi . Ronaldo co-owns the sports marketing company 9INE, with his friend, mixed martial artist Anderson Silva , one of his clients. A keen poker player, in April 2013 Ronaldo became a member of PokerStars SportStar, and in 2014 he played a charity poker tournament against tennis star Rafael Nadal . On 11 December 2014, Ronaldo became a minority owner of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League. In 2015, Ronaldo opened eight new branches of his youth football school – the Ronaldo Academy – in China, the U.S. and Brazil, with 100 expected to be opened worldwide by 2020. In 2017, Ronaldo's son, Ronald, was selected for the junior football team representing Brazil in the 2017 Maccabiah Games. The Maccabiah is described as "the Jewish Olympics"; Ronald is not Jewish, but some participating countries have more relaxed rules about eligibility and Ronald is a member of a Jewish football club.
In January 2023, Ronaldo announced his fifth engagement, to model and businesswoman Celina Locks. Ronaldo and Locks went on to marry in July of the same year.
A practicing Catholic , Ronaldo was baptized into the faith in 2023. He donated a signed football to Pope Francis in 2014, which is now housed in the Vatican Museums .
Ronaldo appeared in The Simpsons season 18 episode "Marge Gamer" broadcast in April 2007. Simon Crerar of The Times listed Ronaldo's performance as one of the thirty-three funniest cameos in the history of the show. Ronaldo made a cameo appearance in Mike Bassett: England Manager (2001) and each film of the Goal! film trilogy, Goal! (2005), Goal II: Living the Dream (2007) and Goal III: Taking on the World (2009). Archive footage of Ronaldo features in the music video "We Are One (Ole Ola)", the official song of the 2014 World Cup by Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez .
Ronaldo has appeared in various commercials, from Snickers chocolate bar to Pirelli tyres. Ronaldo's usual goal celebration of both arms outstretched – especially from his early career – was the basis for Pirelli's 1998 commercial where he replaced the figure of Christ from the Christ the Redeemer statue that towers over his home city of Rio de Janeiro while in an Inter Milan strip. It was controversial with the Catholic Church. Released in 2000 for the PlayStation and Game Boy Color , the video game Ronaldo V-Football was exclusively endorsed by Ronaldo. In 2017 Ronaldo was added as an icon to the Ultimate Team in EA Sports ' FIFA video game FIFA 18 , receiving a 95 rating along with Brazilian compatriot Pelé , Argentine playmaker Diego Maradona , former Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin and former French star Thierry Henry . Ronaldo also appears as the cover athlete on the Icon edition of the game.
In May 2021, DAZN released the first of a six-part series titled Ronaldo: El Presidente . The series takes viewers inside the day-to-day running of Real Valladolid, revealing every challenge and triumph in Valladolid's first full season under their Brazilian president, intercut with parallel narratives detailing the highs and lows of Ronaldo's own playing career.
"Ronaldo is the most global of all athletes today, bar none."
Ronaldo has been sponsored by sportswear company Nike since the early part of his career. In 1996, Nike signed Ronaldo to a 10-year contract and to a lifetime endorsement deal worth over $180 million. Nicknamed R9 (his initial and shirt number), Ronaldo is closely associated with the original Nike Mercurial R9 that was designed for him for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. To celebrate 15 years of the boot, Nike created a Mercurial Vapor IX inspired by the 1998 design, with Phil McCartney, VP of Football Footwear for Nike, stating; "Ronaldo's impact on the game 15 years ago was immense, and in the run up to 2014, we wanted to celebrate that boot and the man himself. We thought a modern construction of his 1998 boot would be a great commemoration of that moment." In 2018, Ronaldo's R9 Mercurial boots inspired the Nike Mercurial Superfly VI boots commissioned for Kylian Mbappé . Unveiled in 2000, a bronze statue of Ronaldo is located next to Ronaldo Field at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon .
Ronaldo has appeared in a series of Nike commercials. He starred in the 1996 Nike commercial titled "Good vs Evil" in a gladiatorial game set in a Roman amphitheatre. Appearing alongside football players from around the world, including Paolo Maldini , Eric Cantona , Luís Figo , Patrick Kluivert and Jorge Campos , they defend "the beautiful game" against a team of demonic warriors, destroying evil by winning the match. In 1998, he featured in a Nike commercial set in an airport with a number of stars from the Brazil national team, including Romário and Roberto Carlos . In the run-up to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, he starred in Nike's "Secret Tournament" commercial (branded "Scopion KO") directed by Terry Gilliam , appearing alongside football players such as Thierry Henry , Fabio Cannavaro , Francesco Totti , Ronaldinho and Hidetoshi Nakata , with former player Eric Cantona as the tournament "referee". In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup, Ronaldo starred as a mentor in Nike's Risk Everything animated commercial with a host of current players in the Nike stable.
Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club
Season
League
State league
National cup
Continental
Other
Total
Division
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
1993
14
12
2
0
—
4
8
1
0
21
20
1994
Série A
—
18
22
—
8
2
—
26
24
Total
14
12
20
22
—
12
10
1
0
47
44
1994–95
33
30
—
1
2
2
3
—
36
35
1995–96
Eredivisie
13
12
—
3
1
5
6
—
21
19
Total
46
42
—
4
3
7
9
—
57
54
1996–97
37
34
—
4
6
7
5
1
2
49
47
1997–98
32
25
—
4
3
11
6
—
47
34
1998–99
Serie A
19
14
—
2
0
6
1
1
0
28
15
1999–2000
Serie A
7
3
—
1
0
—
—
8
3
2000–01
Serie A
0
0
—
0
0
0
0
—
0
0
2001–02
Serie A
10
7
—
1
0
5
0
—
16
7
Total
68
49
—
8
3
22
7
1
0
99
59
2002–03
La Liga
31
23
—
1
0
11
6
1
1
44
30
2003–04
La Liga
32
24
—
5
2
9
4
2
1
48
31
2004–05
La Liga
34
21
—
1
0
10
3
—
45
24
2005–06
La Liga
23
14
—
2
1
2
0
—
27
15
2006–07
La Liga
7
1
—
2
1
4
2
—
13
4
Total
127
83
—
11
4
36
15
3
2
177
104
2006–07
Serie A
14
7
—
—
—
—
14
7
2007–08
Serie A
6
2
—
—
—
—
6
2
Total
20
9
—
—
—
—
20
9
2009
Série A
20
12
10
8
8
3
—
—
38
23
2010
Série A
11
6
9
3
—
7
3
—
27
12
Série A
—
2
0
—
2
0
—
4
0
Total
31
18
21
11
8
3
9
3
—
69
35
Career total
343
247
41
33
35
19
93
49
6
4
518
352
Appearances and goals by national team, year and competition
Team
Year
Competitive
Friendly
Total
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
1994
—
4
1
4
1
1995
1
0
5
3
6
3
1996
—
4
5
4
5
1997
11
9
9
6
20
15
1998
7
4
3
1
10
5
1999
6
5
4
2
10
7
2000
—
—
—
2001
—
—
—
2002
7
8
5
3
12
11
2003
4
3
4
0
8
3
2004
7
6
4
0
11
6
2005
4
1
1
0
5
1
2006
5
3
2
2
8
5
2007
—
—
—
2008
—
—
—
2009
—
—
—
2010
—
—
—
2011
—
1
0
1
0
Total
52
39
46
23
98
62
Table key
Goal scored by penalty
International goals by number, cap, date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition
Cap
Date
Venue
Opponent
Score
Result
Competition
1
2
4 May 1994
, , Brazil
1–0
3–0
2
8
11 June 1995
, , England
2–1
3–1
Friendly
3
10
11 October 1995
Estádio de Pituaçu, , Brazil
1–0
2–0
Friendly
4
2–0
5
11
28 August 1996
Central Dynamo Stadium, , Russia
2–2
2–2
Friendly
6
13
16 October 1996
Albertão, , Brazil
1–0
3–1
Friendly
7
2–1
8
3–1
9
14
18 December 1996
Vivaldão, , Brazil
1–0
1–0
Friendly
10
15
26 February 1997
Estádio Serra Dourada, , Brazil
3–0
4–2
Friendly
11
4–0
12
16
2 April 1997
, , Brazil
1–0
4–0
Friendly
13
3–0
14
20
8 June 1997
, , France
2–3
3–3
Friendly
15
22
13 June 1997
Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, , Bolivia
3–0
5–0
1997 Copa América
16
4–0
17
25
22 June 1997
Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
1–0
2–0
1997 Copa América
18
2–0
19
27
29 June 1997
Estadio Hernando Siles, , Bolivia
2–1
3–1
1997 Copa América
20
28
10 August 1997
Seoul Olympic Stadium, , South Korea
1–1
2–1
Friendly
21
33
19 December 1997
King Fahd International Stadium, , Saudi Arabia
2–0
2–0
1997 FIFA Confederations Cup
22
34
21 December 1997
King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Trofeo EFE La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year: 1996–97, 2002–03
Pichichi Trophy: 1996–97, 2003–04
European Golden Shoe: 1996–97
World Soccer magazine World Player of the Year (3): 1996, 1997, 2002
Don Balón Award La Liga Foreign Player of the Year: 1996–97
Copa América Final Most Valuable Player: 1997
Copa América Most Valuable Player: 1997
FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Boot: 1997
FIFA Confederations Cup All-Star Team: 1997
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 1997
Copa América All-Star Team: 1997, 1999
IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year: 1997
Bravo Award: 1997, 1998
Onze d'Or: 1997, 2002
Ballon d'Or : 1997, 2002
UNICEF European Footballer of the Season: 1996–97
European Sports Media ESM Team of the Year: 1996–97, 1997–98
FIFA XI : 1997, 1998
Serie A Footballer of the Year: 1998
Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 1998
UEFA Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 1998
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 1997–98
UEFA Club Best Forward: 1997–98
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1998
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team : 1998 , 2002
FIFA World Cup top assist provider: 1998
Inter Milan Player of the Year: 1998
FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe: 2002
FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 2002
FIFA World Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 2002
Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player: 2002
UEFA Team of the Year: 2002
BBC World Sport Star of the Year: 2002
Laureus World Sports Awards Comeback of the Year: 2003
Best Male Soccer Player ESPY Award: 2003
FIFA 100 (2004)
FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot: 2006
Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame: 2006
Golden Foot award: 2006
France Football magazine's all-time starting XI: 2007
Association of Football Statisticians (AFS) Top-100 Players of All Time: 2007. #2
Sports Illustrated Team of the Decade: 2009
Real Madrid Hall of Fame
Marca Leyenda: 2011
L'Équipe's top 50 South-American footballers in history: #5
Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2015
International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) Legends
Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2018
Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2018
Ballon d'Or Dream Team : 2020
IFFHS All-time Men's B Dream Team: 2021
List of most expensive association football transfers
List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals
List of professional sports team owners
This page was last modified on 20 July 2024, at 22:21. Suggest an edit .
Biography Online
Biography Cristiano Ronaldo
Short Biography Cristiano Ronaldo
His second name ‘Ronaldo’ was named after his father’s favourite American actor – Ronald Reagan.
From an early age, he loved playing football. His talent, enthusiasm and love for the game soon became apparent. By the age of ten, his talent was becoming well known in Portugal and he was signed for Nacional, a Portuguese side from Madeira. He later signed for Sporting Lisbon – one of the biggest clubs in Portugal.
His first international exposure came when representing Portugal under 17s at the UEFA championships. His performance caused him to be marked by leading European football managers. In 2003, he played against Manchester United when Sporting beat them 3-1 in a friendly.
At Manchester United, his career steadily progressed. In the 2006/07 season, Ronaldo was a key figure in Manchester’s successful league campaign. Ronaldo scored over 20 goals, as he won his first championship. In March 2007, his prowess helped him to gain a record-breaking £120,000 a week five-year contract. He also won PFA player of the year award.
The 2007-08 season was even better, with Cristiano Ronaldo being named the player of the tournament, as Manchester United won the coveted Champions League trophy. The most prestigious club competition in the world. Sir Alex Ferguson said of Ronaldo:
“We’ve had some great players at this club in my 20 years, but he’s up with the best.”
Real Madrid
However, despite the success, Ronaldo expressed a desire to leave the club, and move to Real Madrid. In 2009, Manchester United accepted an offer of £80 million from Real Madrid, making Ronaldo the most expensive player in the world.
His prolific goal-scoring record has lead to frequent comparison with Barcelona’s exceptional Lionel Messi. Sometimes, Ronaldo played up the rivalry, but at other times played it down.
“It’s part of my life now. People are bound to compare us. He tries to do his best for his club and for his national team, as I do, and there is a degree of rivalry with both of us trying to do the best for the teams we represent.”
– Cristiano Ronaldo
On 10 July 2018, Ronaldo was signed by Italian club Juventus for a €100 transfer fee (plus additional €12 million in other fees. In his first season, he helped Juventus to another Serie A title, and Ronaldo became the first player to win national titles in the big three leagues of England, Spain and Italy.
World Cup and international career.
Style of Play
There is widespread admiration for the athleticism, speed, talent and technical ability of Ronaldo. He has the capacity to dribble and beat players, and score a spectacular array of goals from overhead bicycle kicks to free-kicks and headers. Over the years, he has worked on both his physical strength and technical ability. He plays with tremendous confidence and often makes use of feints, dummies and step-overs, his skill and reputation make him a feared opponent. His self-confidence is a defining feature of his game and personality. Interviewed in 2018, he replied
“In my mind, I’m always the best. I don’t care what people think, what they say. In my mind, not just this year but always, I’m always the best.”
Cristiano Ronaldo BBC Sport ( 5 November 2015 ).
Ronaldo has a strong work ethic, and has been able to maintain a consistently high standard of play for several seasons:
“I am not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well. More important than that, I feel an endless need to learn, to improve, to evolve, not only to please the coach and the fans, but also to feel satisfied with myself. It is my conviction that there are no limits to learning, and that it can never stop, no matter what our age.”
– Cristiano Ronaldo.
He has sometimes been accused of having a petulant side. For example at the 2010 World Cup, he winked after getting David Beckham sent off.
Outside of football
Outside of football, he is often photographed with his model girlfriends and in his many sports car. Perhaps unfairly, he is characterised as the ultimate ‘playboy’ footballer, with his styled hair, and expensive clothes. In 2009, he was involved in a crash whilst driving his Ferrari. However, after reacting to newspaper claims he was involved in drinking in England, he replied,
“I don’t smoke or drink, and I’m not a big spender. I live in a rural part of Cheshire and my nearest neighbours are squirrels, birds and cows. Much of my time is spent at home with friends and family. I enjoy being peaceful and often sit by the candlelight to relax. Tranquillity is important to me.”
Ronaldo says he does not drink alcohol, which may be related to the early death of his father in 2005, aged 52 from alcohol-related liver damage.
He has also been involved in numerous philanthropy initiatives and has given parts of his salary to charitable relief efforts. He serves as a Save the Children Global artist ambassador.
Family life
He has three children via a surrogate mother and one daughter with a former girlfriend, Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez.
The legendary George Best said of Ronaldo:
“There have been a few players described as the new George Best over the years, but this is the first time it’s been a compliment to me.”
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Cristiano Ronaldo”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net Last updated 18 March 2020.
Career Achievements
Ronaldo is the only player to win the unique combination of the league title, domestic cup, domestic Supercup, Champions League, Club World Cup, League player of the year, Golden Shoe and Ballon d’Or at two clubs (Manchester United and Real Madrid)
Most goals scored in a single calendar year for club and country: 63 goals (2012)
Most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League: 128 goals (2020)
Winner of five FIFA Ballon d’Or awards (given to world’s best player)
Only player to win national titles in England, Spain and Italy.
Five times winner of UEFA Champions League (4 with Real Madrid, 1 with Man Utd)
Four times winner of FIFA club world cup.
At the time (2009) The most expensive footballer in history £80 million – Man Utd to Real Madrid
Only player in history to have scored 60 or more goals in a calendar year four times (consecutively from 2011 to 2014)
The only player to score 50 goals or more in seven consecutive seasons (2011-17)
Real Madrid all-time top goalscorer: 450 goals
Most goals scored in a season in all competitions: 60 goals
Most goals scored in a single La Liga season: 46 goals
Most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League season: 17 goals
Most hat-tricks in a La Liga career (25)
Most international goals scored in a calendar year: 32 (2017)
First player to score in ten consecutive international tournaments (2004-19)
Portugal’s most capped player of all time: 164 caps
Portugal’s all-time top goalscorer: 99 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo The Rise of a Winner
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Imagine saying pepsi(messi) is better than the goat (Ronaldo)
Children: Ronald Nazário de Lima, Maria Alice Nazário de Lima, Maria Sophia Nazário de Lima, Alexander Nazário de Lima
Ronaldo, in full Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima was born on September 22, 1976, in Itaguai, Brazil. He is a Brazilian football (soccer) player, who led Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002 and who received three Player of the Year awards (1996–97, 2002) from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Popularly dubbed “The Phenomenon,” he is widely considered to be one of the greatest football players of all time. A three-time FIFA World Player of the Year and two-time Ballon d’Or recipient, Ronaldo, in his prime, was known for his dribbling at speed, feints and clinical finishing. He was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest living players compiled in 2004, and was inducted into the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame and the Italian Football Hall of Fame.
Ronaldo played for Brazil in 98 matches, scoring 62 goals, and is the second-highest goalscorer for his national team.
At his physical peak in the 1990s, at club level Ronaldo starred for Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona and Inter Milan. After almost three years of inactivity due to serious knee injuries and recuperation, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2002, which was followed by spells at A.C. Milan and Corinthians. Having suffered further injuries, Ronaldo retired from professional football in 2011, concluding an 18-year career. Post-retirement, he has continued his work as a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, a position to which he was appointed in 2000. He served as an ambassador for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo has been sponsored by sportswear company Nike since the early part of his career. In 1996, Nike signed Ronaldo to a 10-year contract and to a lifetime endorsement deal worth over $180 million. He is closely associated with the original Nike Mercurial R9 that was designed for him for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. To celebrate 15 years of the iconic boot, Nike created a Mercurial Vapor IX inspired by the 1998 design, with Phil McCartney, VP of Football Footwear for Nike, stating; “Ronaldo’s impact on the game 15 years ago was immense, and in the run up to 2014, we wanted to celebrate that boot and the man himself. We thought a modern construction of his 1998 boot would be a great commemoration of that moment.”
Personal Life
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born on September 18, 1976, in Itaguaí, Brazil. His parents, Nélio Nazário de Lima and Sônia dos Santos Barata, separated when he was 11, and Ronaldo dropped out of school shortly afterward to pursue a soccer career. Ronaldo has a brother, Nélio Jr.
Ronaldo joined the Social Ramos indoor soccer team at the age of 12 before moving on to São Cristóvão, where he was discovered by his future agents, Reinaldo Pitta and Alexandre Martins. The two arranged for the sale of their new client’s contract to Cruzeiro, a professional club in the city of Belo Horizonte.
During 1997, Ronaldo met the Brazilian model and actress Susana Werner on the set of Brazilian telenovela Malhação when they acted together in three episodes. Although they never married, they began a long-term relationship and lived together in Milan until the beginning of 1999.
In April 1999, Ronaldo married female Brazilian footballer Milene Domingues, at the time pregnant with the couple’s first son, Ronald, who was born in Milan, on 6 April 2000. The marriage lasted four years. In 2005, Ronaldo became engaged to Brazilian model and MTV VJ Daniela Cicarelli, who became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage; the relationship lasted only three months after their luxurious wedding at the Château de Chantilly. The ceremony reportedly cost £700,000 (€896,000).
Ronaldo’s engagement to Maria Beatriz Antony was cancelled immediately after the prostitution scandal but resumed a little later. Maria Beatriz Antony gave birth to their first daughter, named Maria Sophia, in Rio de Janeiro, on 24 December 2008. In April 2009, the whole family moved to a new penthouse in São Paulo. On 6 April 2010, Maria Beatriz Antony gave birth to their second daughter. The girl, born in São Paulo, was named Maria Alice. Coincidentally, Maria Alice was born exactly 10 years after her older brother Ronald.
In December 2010, Ronaldo performed a paternity test and confirmed to be the father of a boy named Alexander (born in April 2005). The boy was born after a brief relationship between Ronaldo and Michele Umezu, a Brazilian waitress whom Ronaldo first met in Tokyo, in 2002.
Playing Career
Ronaldo showcased his impressive goal-scoring ability for Cruzeiro, helping the club to its first Brazil Cup championship in 1993. The talented 17-year-old was named to the Brazilian national team for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, though he watched from the bench as his countrymen won the Cup.
Ronaldo scored 44 goals in 47 games with Cruzeiro, leading them to their first Copa do Brasil in 1993, and the Minas Gerais State Championship in 1994.
Ronaldo hit the ground running when his contract was sold to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands in 1994, averaging nearly a goal per game against top-notch European competition. Two years with PSV Eindhoven were followed by one with FC Barcelona and then a move to Inter Milan, a four-year period in which Ronaldo twice won FIFA World Player of the Year and carried his teams to victory in the Dutch and Spanish Super Cups.
During his spell at PSV, Ronaldo attracted the attention of both Inter Milan and FC Barcelona. It was Barcelona that was willing to pay the then world record fee of $19.5 million. He also won La Liga top scorer award in 1997 with 34 goals in 37 games, and the European Golden Shoe. Until the 2008–09 season, Ronaldo remained the last player to score more than 30 goals in La Liga. Probably his most memorable goal was scored at SD Compostela on 11 October 1996.
At the end of 1996, aged 20, Ronaldo became the youngest player to win FIFA World Player of the Year.
Ronaldo’s time at Barcelona lasted one season, as there were problems with the renegotiation of his contract. Ronaldo’s unhappiness had become evident and at the end of the season, by paying the buy out clause fee in his contract, Inter Milan signed him in the summer of 1997 for a then world record fee of $27 million.
He won FIFA World Player of the Year for the second time in 1997, and collected the Ballon d’Or the same year. The following year, Ronaldo scored a trademark goal against Lazio in the 1998 UEFA Cup Final.
Having signed for Real Madrid for €46 million, his jersey sales broke all records on the first day, such was the obsession and hype surrounding him. He also won an Intercontinental Cup in 2002 and Spanish Super Cup in 2003.
In April 2013, Ronaldo was named by Marca as a member of the “Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid’s history”.
On 18 January 2007, it was reported that Ronaldo agreed terms with A.C. Milan for a transfer of €8.05 million. Ronaldo was forced to pay for the remaining period on his contract which tied him to Real Madrid, only because the latter did not agree to release him, while Milan were not ready to pay such a sum.
On 13 February 2008, Ronaldo suffered a severe season-ending knee injury while jumping for a cross in Milan 1–1 draw with Livorno, and was stretchered off and taken to a hospital.
The club confirmed after the match that Ronaldo had ruptured the kneecap ligament in his left knee. It marked the third such occurrence of this injury, which he suffered twice to his right knee in 1999 and 2000. He was released by Milan at the end of the season, as his contract expired and was not renewed.
Ronaldo trained with Flamengo during his recovery from knee surgery, and the club’s board of directors said that the doors were open for him to join. On 9 December, however, Ronaldo signed a one-year deal with Flamengo’s league rival Corinthians.
Ronaldo made his international debut for Brazil in 1994, in a friendly match in Recife against Argentina. He went to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States as a 17-year-old, but did not play.
In the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ronaldo played with the name Ronaldinho on his shirt, since centre back Ronaldo Guiaro, two years his senior, was one of his teammates. Brazil went on to win the bronze medal. Ronaldo also represented Brazil in the 1995 Copa América (finishing in second place), and won both the 1997 and the 1999 editions of the tournament, finishing as top scorer in 1999.
Ronaldo starred alongside Romário, dubbed the Ro-Ro attack, in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, helping Brazil win their first ever Confederations Cup title where he finished as the third highest scorer with 4 goals, scoring a hat-trick over Australia in the final.
Big things were expected from Ronaldo and Brazil in the 1998 World Cup in France, but while he was named the Golden Ball winner as the Cup’s best player, the tournament ended on a sour note when Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit before the final and was ineffective in a 3-0 loss to the host country. Bigger setbacks followed when Ronaldo ruptured a knee tendon in November 1999 and reinjured the knee five months later, knocking him out of action for almost two years.
Ronaldo made a triumphant return in time for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, netting eight goals to win the Golden Boot Award as the Cup’s top scorer while leading Brazil its fifth world championship. Ronaldo transferred to Real Madrid that fall, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year Award a third time before leading his new club to La Liga and Spanish Super Cup championships in 2003.
Ronaldo appeared in one final World Cup for Brazil in 2006. Although Brazil was bounced in the quarterfinals by France, Ronaldo scored three times to set a record with 15 career goals in World Cup play.
In February 2011 it was announced that Ronaldo would be given one last match for Brazil, a friendly against Romania in São Paulo on 7 June 2011, five years after his last match with the national team.
On 13 December 2011 world football legends Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo played a charity match with their friends against former and current players of the German team Hamburg in the ninth edition of the Match Against Poverty series, which the pair established in 2003.
He was an extremely powerful, fast, and technical player, as well as being a composed finisher. He was capable of playing in several offensive positions, although his preferred role was that of a striker, and he was able to use both feet, despite being naturally right footed. Ronaldo was highly regarded for his technical ability, and he is considered one of the most skilful individual dribblers in the game.
Ronaldo is recognized as one of the best soccer players in history. In 2004, he was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest living players compiled by the legendary Pelé, and in 2010, he was deemed Goal.com’s “Player of the Decade.”
Often criticized for not training hard as a pro athlete, Ronaldo set himself up for an active post-playing career by founding 9ine, a sports marketing agency. He also joined the organizing committees for the Brazil-based 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, ensuring that he would remain an influential figure in Brazilian sports and international affairs for years to come.
Campeonato Mineiro (1): 1994
Copa do Brasil (1): 1993
PSV Eindhoven
KNVB Cup (1): 1996
Johan Cruijff-schaal (1): 1996
Copa del Rey (1): 1997
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (1): 1997
Supercopa de España (1): 1996
Inter Milan
UEFA Cup (1): 1998
Real Madrid
La Liga (2): 2002–03, 2006–07
Intercontinental Cup (1): 2002
Supercopa de España (1): 2003
Corinthians
Campeonato Paulista (1): 2009
Copa do Brasil (1): 2009
National team
FIFA World Cup (2): 1994, 2002
FIFA World Cup (1): Runners-up (2nd Place) 1998
Copa América (2): 1997, 1999
Copa América (1): Runners-up (2nd Place) 1995
FIFA Confederations Cup (1): 1997
Summer Olympic Games (1): Bronze Medal (3rd Place) 1996
Supercopa Libertadores Top Scorer (1): 1993–94
Supercopa Libertadores Team of The Year (1): 1993-04
Campeonato Mineiro Top Scorer (1): 1993–94
Campeonato Mineiro Team of The Year (1): 1994
Eredivisie Top Scorer (1): 1994–95
World Soccer Magazine World Player of The Year (3): 1996, 1997, 2002
FIFA World Player of the Year (3): 1996, 1997, 2002
Trofeo EFE La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year (2): 1996–97, 2002–03
Pichichi Trophy (2) 1996–1997, 2003-2004
European Golden Boot (1): 1996–97
Don Balón Award La Liga Foreign Player of the Year (1): 1996–97
Copa América Final Most Valuable Player (1): 1997
Copa América Most Valuable Player (1): 1997
FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Boot (1): 1997
FIFA Confederations Cup All-Star Team (1): 1997
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final Most Valuable Player (1): 1997
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Top Goal Scorer (1): 1996–1997
Copa América All-Star Team (2): 1997, 1999
IFFHS World’s Top Goal Scorer of the Year (1): 1997
Bravo Award (2): 1997, 1998
Onze d’Or (2): 1997, 2002
Ballon d’Or (2): 1997, 2002
European Sports Media ESM Team of the Year (2) 1996–97, 1997–98
FIFA XI (2): 1997, 1998
Serie A Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98
Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98
UEFA Cup Final Most Valuable Player (1): 1998
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98
UEFA Club Best Forward (1): 1997–98
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (1): 1998
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (2): 1998, 2002
FIFA World Player of the Year – Silver award (1): 1998
Copa América Top Scorer (1): 1999
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot (1): 2002
FIFA World Cup Silver Ball (1): 2002
FIFA World Cup Final Most Valuable Player (1): 2002
Intercontinental Cup Man of the Match (1): 2002
UEFA Team of the Year (1): 2002
Laureus World Sports Awards Comeback of the Year (1): 2002
Strogaldo De Legendary Award (1): 2002
BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year (1): 2002
FIFA World Player of the Year – Bronze award (1): 2003
FIFA 100 (2004)
FIFA World Cup Bronze Boot (1): 2006
Brazil national football team Hall of Fame: 2006
Golden Foot award (1): 2006
Serie A Player of the Decade: 1997–2007
France Football (magazine): Starting eleven of all time (2007)
Real Madrid Team of the century
Campeonato Paulista Best Player (1): 2009
Honor of Brazilian Football Confederation: 2010
Real Madrid Hall of fame: 2011
Marca Leyenda: 2011
World Soccer (magazine): The Greatest Players of the 20th Century (Published December 1999) #13
L’Équipe’s top 50 South-American footballers in history: #5
Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2015
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Brazil legend Ronaldinho's son João Mendes nears Burnley move
João Mendes, the son of legendary Brazil forward Ronaldinho, is close to signing with English Championship side Burnley .
Burnley head coach Scott Parker confirmed the club is close to signing the 19-year-old, but also sought to play down hype over the deal as he looks to take pressure off the young Brazilian winger.
Mendes is set to arrive at Turf Moor having spent last season in Barcelona 's academy.
Mendes has reportedly signed a two-year deal with Burnley, according to Brazilian outlet Globo, and Parker confirmed the two parties are close.
Parker said on Thursday: "Nothing has been officially done at this moment in time, there's something there for sure. We see him as a development player and a project but the paperwork has not been signed yet."
He added: "I get the excitement but I think it would be unfair to heap pressure on a young boy. He's coming here in a sense of development is how we see it.
"I get the excitement with the links to his father. Hopefully he comes in but there is a lot to do, different culture, different way of doing things, so I would probably dampen [that excitement] down a bit."
Mendes came through Cruzeiro's youth system before following in his father's footsteps to Barcelona in 2023 where he was part of their under-19 side.
Ronaldinho was one of Brazil's finest players and helped the country win the 2002 World Cup.
He won the Ballon d'Or in 2005 and won LaLiga twice with Barcelona and the Champions League in 2006. He also had spells with Grêmio , Paris Saint-Germain , AC Milan , Flamengo and Atlético Mineiro .
Cristiano Ronaldo: The Biography by Guillem Balague
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo (Ronaldo de Lima) (born September 18, 1976), Brazilian
Ronaldo Brazil
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Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁoˈnawdu ˈlwiz nɐˈzaɾju dʒi ˈlimɐ]; born 18 September 1976), [2] mononymously known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker.He is the owner of Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro and owner and president of La Liga club Real Valladolid.Nicknamed O Fenômeno ('The Phenomenon') and R9, he is ...
Ronaldo
Ronaldo (born September 18 or 22, 1976, Itaguai, Brazil) is a retired football (soccer) player who led Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002 and who won three Player of the Year awards (1996, 1997, and 2002) from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).. Birth date. According to a FIFA tribute published in 2024:. Ronaldo was born in Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro on 18 September ...
Ronaldo
QUICK FACTS. Name: Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima. Birth Year: 1976. Birth date: September 18, 1976. Birth City: Itaguaí. Birth Country: Brazil. Gender: Male. Best Known For: Soccer player Ronaldo ...
Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, mononymously known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the owner of Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro and owner and president of La Liga club Real Valladolid. Nicknamed O Fenômeno and R9, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the ...
Ronaldo Nazario Biography, Achievements, Career Info, Records & Stats
Ronaldo was born on September 18, 1976, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was raised in the Bento Ribeiro neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro and began playing football on the streets as a child. His ...
Ronaldo Fenomeno's rise in Brazil: 'It was as if he'd come from the moon'
Ronaldo was included in the squad for a friendly with Argentina at the wild, vast, crumbling Arruda stadium in the north-eastern Brazilian city of Recife. Ronaldo only got 10 minutes at the end after one of his childhood heroes Bebeto had given Brazil a 2-0 lead in the first half as Diego Maradona, who was trying to get in shape for the World ...
Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)
Ronaldo (born 18 September 1976) is a retired Brazilian football player. During his career he played for F.C. Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan, Real Madrid CF, A.C. Milan, and Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He won two World Cups in 1994 and 2002 and the 1997 Ballon d'Or .
Brazil
Ronaldo Luíz Last name Nazário de Lima Nationality Brazil Date of birth 22 September 1976 Age 47 Country of birth Brazil Place of birth Rio de Janeiro Position Attacker Height 183 cm Weight 90 kg Foot Right. Career Domestic Leagues; Domestic Cups; International Cups; National Team;
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾiʃˈtjɐnu ʁɔˈnaldu]; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Portugal national team.Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards, [note 3] a record three ...
Ronaldão (footballer)
Ronaldão (footballer) Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus (born 19 June 1965 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a former Brazilian footballer, initially known on the football pitch as Ronaldo and then as Ronaldão ( big Ronaldo) to differentiate him from his younger compatriot and teammate, also dubbed Ronaldo, who was nicknamed Ronaldinho ( little Ronaldo ...
Ronaldo Nazario Biography, Childhood, Career, Life, Facts
Below are some biography quick facts that you should know about the Brazilian retired football legend. Full Name: Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima. Nicknames: Fenômeno, The Proper One. Date of Birth: September 18, 1976. Age: 47 years old. Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nationality: Brazilian. Zodiac sign: Virgo.
FENOMENO
#Ronaldo #Brazil #GOATFootball in the 1990's and early 2000's belonged to one man. With his unmatched finishing ability, along with his incredible passing, v...
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo (born February 5, 1985, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal) is a Portuguese football (soccer) forward who is one of the greatest players of his generation. The winner of five Ballon d'Or awards, he is among the sport's top goal scorers. Early life and career. Ronaldo's father, José Dinis Aveiro, was the equipment manager for the local club Andorinha.
Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho was born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira on March 21, 1980, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His father, João Moreira, was a former professional soccer player who also worked as a welder in a ...
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese soccer superstar. By 2003 — when he was just 16 years old — Manchester United paid £12 million (over $14 million U.S. dollars) to sign him ...
Cristiano Ronaldo Biography
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born February 5, 1985) is the quintessential footballer/soccer star. Possessing strength, pace, skill, and professionalism in abundance, Ronaldo's many attributes leave him well-equipped for the modern game. In an age where players have never been fitter or stronger, Ronaldo ensures that his outrageous ...
Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) Facts for Kids
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima ( born 18 September 1976), known as Ronaldo or Ronaldo Nazário, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker.He is the owner of Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro and owner and president of Segunda Division club Real Valladolid.Nicknamed O Fenômeno ('The Phenomenon') and R9, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Ronaldo
Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer), full name Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (born 1976), Brazilian footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (born 1985), Portuguese footballer; Ronaldinho, full name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 1980), Brazilian footballer, also known as "Ronaldinho Gaúcho"; Ronaldo Cezar Soares dos Santos (born 2000), Brazilian footballer; Ronaldo da Silva Souza (born 1996), Brazilian ...
Biography Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional footballer who has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal. Along with Lionel Messi, he is regularly considered to be one of the top two players in the world. He became the world's most expensive player when Real Madrid signed him for 94 million Euros in 2009 from ...
Ronaldo
Ronaldo, full name Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (born 1976), Brazilian footballer, was known as "Ronaldinho" in his early career; Cristiano Ronaldo (born 1985), Portuguese footballer; Ronaldinho, full name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 1980), Brazilian footballer, also known as "Ronaldinho Gaúcho"; Ronaldo Cezar Soares dos Santos (born 2000), Brazilian footballer
Ronaldo
Brazilian former association football player (born 1976) Ronaldo (Q529207) ... Ronaldo with Brazil in 2019 (English) Ronaldo in nazionale nel 2019 (Italian) point in time. 2019. 0 references. sex or gender. male. 1 reference. stated in. Integrated Authority File. GND ID. 123651158. retrieved. 13 July 2024.
Biography of Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born on September 18, 1976, in Itaguaí, Brazil. His parents, Nélio Nazário de Lima and Sônia dos Santos Barata, separated when he was 11, and Ronaldo dropped out of school shortly afterward to pursue a soccer career. Ronaldo has a brother, Nélio Jr. Ronaldo joined the Social Ramos indoor soccer team at ...
Ronaldo (footballer, born August 1996)
Ronaldo de Oliveira Strada (born 22 August 1996), or simply known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Atlético Goianiense. Club career. Born in Salvador, Ronaldo joined Vitória's youth setup at the age of 14. [1]
Brazil legend Ronaldinho's son nears Burnley move
Ronaldinho was one of Brazil's finest players and helped the country win the 2002 World Cup. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2005 and won LaLiga twice with Barcelona and the Champions League in 2006.
IMAGES
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Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁoˈnawdu ˈlwiz nɐˈzaɾju dʒi ˈlimɐ]; born 18 September 1976), [2] mononymously known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker.He is the owner of Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro and owner and president of La Liga club Real Valladolid.Nicknamed O Fenômeno ('The Phenomenon') and R9, he is ...
Ronaldo (born September 18 or 22, 1976, Itaguai, Brazil) is a retired football (soccer) player who led Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002 and who won three Player of the Year awards (1996, 1997, and 2002) from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).. Birth date. According to a FIFA tribute published in 2024:. Ronaldo was born in Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro on 18 September ...
QUICK FACTS. Name: Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima. Birth Year: 1976. Birth date: September 18, 1976. Birth City: Itaguaí. Birth Country: Brazil. Gender: Male. Best Known For: Soccer player Ronaldo ...
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, mononymously known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the owner of Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro and owner and president of La Liga club Real Valladolid. Nicknamed O Fenômeno and R9, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the ...
Ronaldo was born on September 18, 1976, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was raised in the Bento Ribeiro neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro and began playing football on the streets as a child. His ...
Ronaldo was included in the squad for a friendly with Argentina at the wild, vast, crumbling Arruda stadium in the north-eastern Brazilian city of Recife. Ronaldo only got 10 minutes at the end after one of his childhood heroes Bebeto had given Brazil a 2-0 lead in the first half as Diego Maradona, who was trying to get in shape for the World ...
Ronaldo (born 18 September 1976) is a retired Brazilian football player. During his career he played for F.C. Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan, Real Madrid CF, A.C. Milan, and Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He won two World Cups in 1994 and 2002 and the 1997 Ballon d'Or .
Ronaldo Luíz Last name Nazário de Lima Nationality Brazil Date of birth 22 September 1976 Age 47 Country of birth Brazil Place of birth Rio de Janeiro Position Attacker Height 183 cm Weight 90 kg Foot Right. Career Domestic Leagues; Domestic Cups; International Cups; National Team;
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾiʃˈtjɐnu ʁɔˈnaldu]; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr and the Portugal national team.Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards, [note 3] a record three ...
Ronaldão (footballer) Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus (born 19 June 1965 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a former Brazilian footballer, initially known on the football pitch as Ronaldo and then as Ronaldão ( big Ronaldo) to differentiate him from his younger compatriot and teammate, also dubbed Ronaldo, who was nicknamed Ronaldinho ( little Ronaldo ...
Below are some biography quick facts that you should know about the Brazilian retired football legend. Full Name: Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima. Nicknames: Fenômeno, The Proper One. Date of Birth: September 18, 1976. Age: 47 years old. Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nationality: Brazilian. Zodiac sign: Virgo.
#Ronaldo #Brazil #GOATFootball in the 1990's and early 2000's belonged to one man. With his unmatched finishing ability, along with his incredible passing, v...
Cristiano Ronaldo (born February 5, 1985, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal) is a Portuguese football (soccer) forward who is one of the greatest players of his generation. The winner of five Ballon d'Or awards, he is among the sport's top goal scorers. Early life and career. Ronaldo's father, José Dinis Aveiro, was the equipment manager for the local club Andorinha.
Ronaldinho was born Ronaldo de Assis Moreira on March 21, 1980, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His father, João Moreira, was a former professional soccer player who also worked as a welder in a ...
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese soccer superstar. By 2003 — when he was just 16 years old — Manchester United paid £12 million (over $14 million U.S. dollars) to sign him ...
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born February 5, 1985) is the quintessential footballer/soccer star. Possessing strength, pace, skill, and professionalism in abundance, Ronaldo's many attributes leave him well-equipped for the modern game. In an age where players have never been fitter or stronger, Ronaldo ensures that his outrageous ...
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima ( born 18 September 1976), known as Ronaldo or Ronaldo Nazário, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker.He is the owner of Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro and owner and president of Segunda Division club Real Valladolid.Nicknamed O Fenômeno ('The Phenomenon') and R9, he is considered one of the greatest players of all time.
Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer), full name Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (born 1976), Brazilian footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (born 1985), Portuguese footballer; Ronaldinho, full name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 1980), Brazilian footballer, also known as "Ronaldinho Gaúcho"; Ronaldo Cezar Soares dos Santos (born 2000), Brazilian footballer; Ronaldo da Silva Souza (born 1996), Brazilian ...
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional footballer who has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Portugal. Along with Lionel Messi, he is regularly considered to be one of the top two players in the world. He became the world's most expensive player when Real Madrid signed him for 94 million Euros in 2009 from ...
Ronaldo, full name Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (born 1976), Brazilian footballer, was known as "Ronaldinho" in his early career; Cristiano Ronaldo (born 1985), Portuguese footballer; Ronaldinho, full name Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 1980), Brazilian footballer, also known as "Ronaldinho Gaúcho"; Ronaldo Cezar Soares dos Santos (born 2000), Brazilian footballer
Brazilian former association football player (born 1976) Ronaldo (Q529207) ... Ronaldo with Brazil in 2019 (English) Ronaldo in nazionale nel 2019 (Italian) point in time. 2019. 0 references. sex or gender. male. 1 reference. stated in. Integrated Authority File. GND ID. 123651158. retrieved. 13 July 2024.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born on September 18, 1976, in Itaguaí, Brazil. His parents, Nélio Nazário de Lima and Sônia dos Santos Barata, separated when he was 11, and Ronaldo dropped out of school shortly afterward to pursue a soccer career. Ronaldo has a brother, Nélio Jr. Ronaldo joined the Social Ramos indoor soccer team at ...
Ronaldo de Oliveira Strada (born 22 August 1996), or simply known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Atlético Goianiense. Club career. Born in Salvador, Ronaldo joined Vitória's youth setup at the age of 14. [1]
Ronaldinho was one of Brazil's finest players and helped the country win the 2002 World Cup. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2005 and won LaLiga twice with Barcelona and the Champions League in 2006.