Is this the End for Ronaldo?

Jonathan Chesters

The word legend is often, especially in the footballing environment tagged on many a mere mortal who don’t even belong in the same orbit as those truly worthy of the term.

Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima is certainly a player who deserves his legacy to be indelibly etched in the annals of time.  The marquee player for the world’s most exciting nation throughout much of the 1990s & early 2000s, his career now hangs literally by a knee ligament.

It seems ludicrous that the scorer of the highest number of goals in the World Cup history, and the most decorated individual performer of his generation is now being completely written off aged only 31.  Has an over-exuberant lifestyle and one too many career threatening knee injuries finally taken their toll? Can a man whose career has been littered with dramatic peaks and troughs ever since that fateful day in Saint Denis, on Sunday 12^th July 1998, bounce back again?

Born on September 18^th 1976 in Bento Ribeiro, a poor neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Ronaldo was destinted for superstardom when he was discovered by Jairzinho, still the only man to score in every round of a victorious World Cup winning side, aged just 14. Signed on the advice of Jairzinho he immediately paid dividends for his first professional club Cruziero scoring 12 goals in 13 games.  His sublime close control, explosive change of pace both with and without the ball combined with an insatiable appetite for goals enticed PSV Eindhoven to pay $6m for the 17 year old wonderkid.

Already being tagged by the Brazilian media as ‘the new Pelé’ he was picked as part of the victorious 1994 Brazil World Cup squad, albeit never getting a game. It was, nevertheless, seen as a learning experience that would further enhance his development.

Four years later France 1998 was set to be his crowning moment. A successful move to FC Barcelona followed his tenure in Holland. It was here where the legend was truly born. The youngest winner of the European Golden Boot, the ‘Ballon d’Or’ (the trophy awared by France Football Magazine to the best player in Europe) and the FIFA world player of the year had all come to him at just 21. He was rightly been spoken about as the greatest individual player on the planet since Diego Maradona.

Ronaldo exploded onto the tournament in the opening game against Scotland, and together with Rivaldo provided the most potent and devastating attacking force in the tournament. The bucked tooth smile was becoming a globally recognised image as Ronaldo toyed with the world’s best defenders as Brazil marched to the final where they would meet France, who despite being the host nation were firmly underdogs.

It was here however where the fairytale was set to end, or at least hit a rather large hiccup. The player of the tournament had a convulsive fit the night before the biggest game of his life, first removed from Brazil starting teamsheet 72 minutes prior to kick off, and then, amazingly restored to the starting XI by coach Mario Zagello. Ronaldo was a shadow of the player who had illuminated the tournament. Clearly affected by their talisman’s woes Brazil suffered stage fright and with two prods of his balding scalp Zinedine Zidane gladly stole Brazil’s trophy and Ronaldo’s crown as the king of world football.

Now plying his trade in Italy’s Serie A seeking to end Inter’s 10 year wait for the Scudetto. Ronaldo flourished again for the national side, bouncing back by becoming the top scorer in the 1999 Copa America.

It seemed as though the Brazilian golden boy was ready to once again rule the world until another disaster struck. In November of the same year Ronaldo ruptured a tendon in his right knee, then tragically 7 minutes into his comeback game 6 months later, the same knee collapsed for a second time.  Ronaldo underwent 2 operations and 20 months of rehabilitation in order to make the 2002 World Cup in Japan & South Korea.

Lingering doubts still remained as to whether he could reproduce his dazzling best, but the critics were soon silenced as he swept Brazil to their fifth World Title, and in doing so became the first player in a ¼ of a century to score more than 6 goals in a World Cup tournament. Finally the script had been written that matched his unerring god given talent.  Those who’d written him off looked dafter than that little tuff of hair he’d grown to distinguish himself to his young son who would regularly confuse his famous dad with team mate Roberto Carlos. However this appeared to be as bright as his star would shine.

Reinvigorated he returned to Spain collecting the Primera Liga title as one of Real Madrid’s Galacticos, a trophy which had previously eluded him during his time with Barcelona. 

Despite breaking Gerd Muller’s record of most career goals in the 2006 World Cup hosted by Germany (his tally in three tournaments had now reached 15), Ronaldo’s ever increasing waistline hit the headlines as much as his record breaking feats.  Again eclipsed by ageless fellow Galactico Zidane, France upset the South American giants this time in the quarter finals. Ronaldo became the scapegoat. 

More dismay followed. Jettisoned out of the Bernabeau by a ruthless Fabio Capello and discarded by new national team coach Dunga, each man hardened disciplinarians who opposed the star culture that had engulfed both dressing rooms.   

Which is where we come to the present day February 13^th 2008 when a further potentially final catastrophe struck.  For a third time Ronaldo ruptured his kneecap. This time playing in the red and black of Inter’s deadliest rivals AC Milan.

Is this the end? Has Brazil’s third highest ever scorer played his last professional game? Well, the smart money probably says at least in Milan. His contract expires in June 2008 and with Brazil still producing an endless conveyor belt of talent, Alex Pato looks set to replace him both for club and country. Ruthless, filthy rich President Silvio Berlusconi will not have been pleased with Milan surrendering the European Cup and will seek out younger blood to an ageing squad. When you consider he was only awarded a short term deal, due to his catalogue of injury setbacks, all the signs seemingly point Ronaldo to the San Siro exit door. 

An icon in his own country he may choose to return to football in his native land where following a bucket load of goals over the next season and a half Dunga will be under the severest of pressure to pick a 33 year old Ronaldo for the next World cup in 2010 taking place in South Africa.

Such adulation normally inflates one’s ego, and surely as a matter of pride the 3 time World Player of the Year wouldn’t want to bow out of the beautiful game with such an inadequate ending. You can never write a player as gifted as Ronaldo off and this writer would not be surprised if he re-appeared in 2010 to add to his 15 World Cup goals to put even that record further out of reach. Although it is, perhaps, more likely that a man bearing the same name and of Portuguese descent becomes the player of the tournament