Icons: Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo, is our latest football icon.
He played for some of the world's biggest clubs and was a huge icon during the 1990's and 2000's.
A brief introduction to 'The Phenomenon'.
Nicknamed The Phenomenon and R9, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, Ronaldo had a huge impact on a generation of forwards and attacking players that followed him. His individual accolades include being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times and winning the Ballon d'Or twice.
The start of his career.
He started 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. Despite being a fan favourite and developing an affinity with the club's support, he would leave Barcelona after only a season. He would be on the move again.
Icons: Paolo Maldini (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
One Barca fan told us: "He could start a move from the halfway line and the whole stadium would just erupt with passion. Up until Messi started to shine, he was the greatest player I've ever seen wearing our iconic shirt. Just a shame, he couldn't stay for longer."
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. In the 1997/1998 season, he played a huge part in Inter Milan winning the UEFA Cup.
Lumario was an Inter Milan who loved watching Ronaldo at the San Siro. He messaged us this on Facebook: "Despite his injury problems, I loved watching him play for us. One of the greatest players to ever play the game, and I think it's incredible that he played for Inter Milan."
Remaining an icon despite a series of injuries.
By 23, Ronaldo had scored over 200 goals for club and country. However, after a series of awful knee injuries and recovery, he was inactive for almost three years. Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2002 and won the 2002–03 La Liga title.
One of his greatest moments for Real Madrid came in a Champions League match against Manchester United in 2003. After winning 3-1 in the first leg, they faced the Old Trafford club in what proved to be one of the finest matches in the competition. Madrid ultimately progressed despite losing the second leg 4-3. Ronaldo scored an incredible hat trick and was given a standing ovation by United fans.
Liam, a Manchester United fan, was in attendance at this match. He said: "That was the best opposition performance I have ever seen against United. He was superb for them. It was a privilege to watch him."
In his later career, he had spells at AC Milan and Corinthians before eventually retiring in 2011, having suffered further injuries.
Icons: Patrice Evra (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
His international career.
Ronaldo played for Brazil in 98 matches, scoring 62 goals and is the third-highest goalscorer for his national team. At only 17, he was the youngest member of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. At the 1998 World Cup, he received the Golden Ball as the player of the tournament after he helped Brazil reach the final.
He won then the 2002 World Cup, starring in a legendary and iconic front three with Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. He scored twice in the final and received the Golden Boot as the tournament's top goalscorer. 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.
Click here to see some of the best goals that he scored in different World Cup's.
A cultural impact and a huge legacy.
He was said to be 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 as part of the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, a greatest all-time eleven published by France Football magazine.
Rebecca is a Chelsea fan who despite Ronaldo not playing for her club believes he is one of the best players to ever play the sport. She told us: "I'd never seen anyone play football with such technical ability, creativity and precision at that incredible speed. When he was playing at 100% of his ability, he would entertain everyone. I just remember that game against United."
