Brazilian athlete
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Also known as: Il Fenomeno, Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima
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Ronaldo
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Category:
- In full:
- Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima
- Born:
- September 22, 1976, Itaguai, Brazil (age 47)
- Awards And Honors:
- World Cup (2002)
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Ronaldo (born September 22, 1976, Itaguai, Brazil) is a former football (soccer) player who led Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002 and who received three Player of the Year awards (1996–97 and 2002) from the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
Ronaldo grew up in the poor Rio de Janeiro suburb of Bento Ribeiro. He began playing football as a junior for the neighbourhood Social Ramos Club at age 12 and two years later joined São Cristóvão in the Carioca League. By 1992 he was playing in the Brazilian championship for Cruzeiro. He was a member of Brazil’s under-17 South American championship team in 1991 before joining the national side in 1994.
Britannica QuizI Am the Greatest (Athlete)Ronaldo was transferred in 1994 from Cruzeiro to PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands, where he scored 55 goals in 56 games and won the 1995 league championship and the 1996 Dutch Cup. After switching to FC Barcelona of Spain for the 1996–97 season, he scored 34 goals in 37 appearances and helped his team capture the Spanish Super Cup. Because of his success, Ronaldo was paid $27 million by Inter Milan to play for the Italian club in 1997, a record at the time. At Inter his excellent dribbling skills and knack for scoring goals earned him the nickname “Il Fenomeno.” In 1997 Ronaldo became the first player to win FIFA’s Player of the Year award two years in a row. In 1999, however, he suffered a serious knee injury that left him unable to play for almost two years.
Dismissing concerns that his career was over, Ronaldo returned to competitive play in 2001. At the 2002 World Cup he scored eight goals to earn the Golden Shoe award as the tournament’s top scorer and helped Brazil win its fifth World Cup championship. He then announced that he was leaving Inter for Real Madrid of Spain. After much wrangling, Real agreed to pay a transfer fee of about $46.3 million. In 2002 Ronaldo was named both FIFA Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year (an award he also had received in 1997). At the 2006 World Cup he scored three goals to bring his career total at the tournament to a record-setting 15 (a mark that was broken in 2014 by Germany’s Miroslav Klose).
While playing for the Italian powerhouse AC Milan in 2008, Ronaldo ruptured a tendon in his left knee—the same type of injury that had occurred in his right knee in 1999—which some thought would put his career in jeopardy. In December 2008 a fully recovered Ronaldo signed with the Corinthians in São Paulo. However, he continued to be plagued by a number of other, less significant, leg injuries during his tenure with the Corinthians as well as by a thyroid condition that made him gain weight, and he abruptly retired from the sport in February 2011.
In 2018 Ronaldo became the majority owner of the Spanish club Real Valladolid.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.
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I am an expert in the field of soccer and have a deep knowledge of the sport. I have followed the careers of many legendary players, including Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo. I can provide you with information related to all the concepts used in the article you mentioned.
Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima, born on September 22, 1976, in Itaguai, Brazil, is a former football (soccer) player who achieved great success throughout his career. He led Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002 and received three Player of the Year awards from FIFA. Ronaldo's journey in football began in the poor Rio de Janeiro suburb of Bento Ribeiro. He started playing for the neighbourhood Social Ramos Club at the age of 12 and later joined São Cristóvão in the Carioca League. In 1992, he made his debut in the Brazilian championship for Cruzeiro.
Ronaldo's talent and skills caught the attention of European clubs, and in 1994, he was transferred to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. During his time at PSV, Ronaldo scored an impressive 55 goals in 56 games and helped the team win the league championship in 1995. He then moved to FC Barcelona in Spain for the 1996-97 season, where he continued to shine and scored 34 goals in 37 appearances.
In 1997, Ronaldo joined Inter Milan in Italy for a record-breaking transfer fee of $27 million. At Inter, he earned the nickname "Il Fenomeno" due to his excellent dribbling skills and goal-scoring ability. Ronaldo became the first player to win FIFA's Player of the Year award two years in a row in 1997 and 1998.
Unfortunately, Ronaldo suffered a serious knee injury in 1999 that kept him out of the game for almost two years. However, he made a remarkable comeback in 2001 and proved his resilience. In the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo scored eight goals and won the Golden Shoe award as the tournament's top scorer, helping Brazil secure their fifth World Cup championship.
After the World Cup, Ronaldo transferred to Real Madrid in Spain for a fee of approximately $46.3 million. He continued to excel and was named FIFA Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year in 2002. Ronaldo's career had its ups and downs, including injuries and health issues, but he remained a highly respected and influential figure in the world of football.
In 2018, Ronaldo became the majority owner of the Spanish club Real Valladolid, further demonstrating his passion and commitment to the sport.
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