Believed to be the greatest striker in the world, Ronaldo Luiz Nazario da Lima, was born on September 22, 1976 at Bento Ribero (Rio de Janeiro,Brasil).
The deadliest striker is a combination of both skill and unmatched speed that makes him the last person you want to give a sight at goal; for it shall hit the back of the net more often than you can imagine. His technical soundness for the game has torched so many goalies including extraordinaire Oliver Khan in World Cup 2002 where he scored two goals.
He is a classic example of someone from the remote region and of remote possibilities of success that rose to world elite status.
He is so poor while growing up that he could not even afford the bus fare to play for Flamengo who did not actually pay for the expense. Below is the list of team he played for as taken from About.com.
1988 – Aged 12 years Ronaldo signs for Social Ramos
1990 – Signs Professional Contract, Social Ramos
1991 – Sao Cristovoa – 2nd. Division, Brazil
1993 – Cruzeiro – 1st. Division, Brazil
1994 – PSV Eindhoven – Netherlands
1996 – Barcelona – Spain
1997 – Inter Milan – Italy
2002 – Real Madrid – Current Club
His career is decorated with lots of glory as well as setbacks, which has a lot to do with the injuries he suffered. Being the warrior he is, he kept on coming back from one injury to another to get more goals and more glory.
His finals convulsion in 1998 against France followed by career threatening injury did not stop him from reclaiming glory during the 2002 World Cup that made him the only player to score two goals against the formidable Oliver Kahn.
Some of the most notable awards he has received are found below:
Dutch Cup – 1996
FIFA World Player of the Year – ’96, ’97, ’02
European Footballer of the Year – ’97
European Player of the Year – ’02
World Cup 2002 Top Scorer – 8 goals
Who would not want to be the guy growing from rags to riches like Ronaldo. A dream come true. Not to mention his exotic girlfriend despite his not-so-handsome appearance. Ooop!
Nevertheless, the world needs someone like you!
Goal
[…] Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said that Ronaldo is guaranteed a spot in the World Cup lineup. He went on to say that all negative write-ups about Ronaldo would not matter come competition since he is made for special moments. This coming World Cup is indeed going to be special for him if he performs up to expectations. World records are bound to be broken like becoming the tournament’s leading scorer where he now sits on third place behind number 1 Gerd Muller of Germany and number 2 Just Fontaine of France. Ronaldo has 12, Just has 13 and Gerd has 14. Likewise, he has a chance to get his third World Cup equaling the feat of Pele. Parreira is confident Ronaldo can bounce back from all that has happened and remain the key to Brazil’s Cup title like when he overcame a career ending knee injury to win the Cup title in 2002. Are we focusing too much on Ronaldo? Have we forgotten Ronaldinho and Kaka? I have a great respect for Ronaldo but at his present physical state how do you expect someone to bounce back. He did overcame his last major adversity en route to the 2002 Cup title but he was totally in shape for a long time prior to the competition. Come the games itself he was perhaps in the greatest shape of his life — ready to show the world why he is the game’s deadliest striker. […]
[…] Ronaldo is all over the news. He is fat. He is out of shape. He is emotionally down. He is personally distracted. He is even slighted that fans does not like him. In summary, he is like a bomb carried by a gigantic flyer awaiting destruction at a given time. Similar to the bomb, the World Cup is awaiting the destruction of Ronaldo who once gazed our imagination in the world stage. There are a lot of rumors on his inability to handle personal problems that lead to his decline both in physical fitness and game play. For the first time in 50 years, Real Madrid is close to ending its third season without a title. Pele considered the greatest soccer player in the world has criticized Ronaldo for his lack of focus. He went on telling that had Ronaldo kept his distractions away he is so much a great player than he already is. […]
[…] At 34 years of age, still a force to be reckoned with, and my fondest wish is for France to put in a good showing with this classy superstar at the helm so that he can put the ghosts of ‘02 behind him. Ronaldo […]
[…] Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said that Ronaldo is guaranteed a spot in the World Cup lineup. He went on to say that all negative write-ups about Ronaldo would not matter come competition since he is made for special moments. […]
[…] Ronaldo is all over the news. He is fat. He is out of shape. He is emotionally down. He is personally distracted. He is even slighted that fans does not like him. […]
[…] Below is a list of players who ill-fated got injured. Its like a virus on the loose clinging on from one player to another: 1. Ronaldo (Brazil), psychological and body weight 2. Lee Dong-gook (South Korea), torn right cruciate ligament 3. Oliver Kahn (Germany), rib cage injury 4. Vahid Hashemian (Iran), knee injury 5. Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), finger injury 6. Luke Young (England), left ankle ligaments (seen in picture) 7. Raul (Spain), knee injury […]
[…] Ronaldo is all over the news. He is fat. He is out of shape. He is emotionally down. He is personally distracted. He is even slighted that fans does not like him. […]
[…] coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said that Ronaldo is guaranteed a spot in the World Cup lineup. He went on to say that all negative write-ups about […]