Ronaldo Nazário

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

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

In Their Own Story

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born on 18 September 1976 in Itaguaí as the third child of Nélio Nazário de Lima Sr. and Sônia dos Santos Barata. He dropped out of school at 11 to pursue football, playing on the streets of Bento Ribeiro. His first futsal team was Valqueire Tenis Clube, then Social Ramos, where he led the city's youth league in scoring with a record 166 goals in his first season, including 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.' Spotted by former Brazilian player Jairzinho, Ronaldo played for the São Cristóvão youth team. Recognized as a child prodigy, Jairzinho recommended the then 16-year-old to his former club Cruzeiro. Ronaldo made his professional debut on 25 May 1993 against Caldense. On 5 October 1993 he scored his first senior career hat-trick against Chilean side Colo-Colo. On 7 November 1993 he scored five goals in Cruzeiro's 6–0 home win against Bahia, becoming the second youngest South-American in history to score a league hat-trick 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.

Reader's Guide

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born on 18 September 1976 in Itaguaí as the third child of Nélio Nazário de Lima Sr. 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 first futsal team was Valqueire Tenis Clube, and then he joined the Social Ramos futsal team at the age of twelve leading the city's youth league in scoring with a record 166 goals in his first season. Crediting futsal for developing his skills, Ronaldo has said, 'futsal will always be my first love.' 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. Recognized as a child prodigy, Jairzinho recommended the then 16-year-old to his former club Cruzeiro. 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. 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 attentio

Did You Know?

• Ronaldo is the youngest recipient of the FIFA World Player of the Year award (1996) and the Ballon d'Or (1997).
• At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo scored his 15th World Cup goal, a tournament record at the time.
• Ronaldo scored 11 of his team's 12 goals in a single futsal game as a 12-year-old: This claim is unsubstantiated and likely apocryphal.