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 about two 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.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered against the San Siro turf in 1998, turning the pitch into a treacherous, slick canvas for chaos. Ronaldo stood over the ball, the deafening roar of the Curva Nord fading into a distant hum as he locked onto the goal. With a deceptive feint to the left, he exploded past the defender—a blur of black and blue moving with a velocity that seemed to defy physics. The keeper dove, but it was a futile gesture; the ball nestled deep into the net before he could even rise. As Ronaldo sprinted toward the corner flag, arms thrown wide in triumph, he wasn't just celebrating a goal; he was enacting a resurrection. In that rain-soaked Milanese night, amidst a sea of waving scarves, the player vanished, leaving only 'O Fenômeno'—the living embodiment of everything Inter fans dared to dream.

Reader's Guide

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.

Did You Know?

• Ronaldo was the youngest recipient of the FIFA World Player of the Year award (1996) and the Ballon d'Or (1997).
• He scored his 15th World Cup goal at the 2006 tournament, a record at the time.
• Ronaldo was named in the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020.
• He became majority owner of Real Valladolid in September 2018 and bought a controlling stake in Cruzeiro in December 2021.