Long before Cristiano Ronaldo thrilled football fans, there was another Ronaldo who wreaked havoc on the football pitch. Forty- and fifty-something football fans can relate to the exploits of this stocky 6-foot striker once described by British newspaper The Guardian as “a futuristic fusion of speed, strength and skill.”
Called “The Phenomenon” in his prime, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima or simply Ronaldo or R9, had won two FIFA World Cup titles in 1994 and in 2002 where he received the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top goal scorer. Before there was Lionel Messi, it was Ronaldo who could dribble the ball past several defenders, “the fastest thing I’ve ever seen running with the ball”, said his Barcelona coach Bobby Robson..
He also won two Ballon d’Or awards and was named FIFA World Player of the Year three times (1996, 1997 and 2002). At 20-years old, he was the youngest to win the FIFA WPY in 1996. Ronaldo and another football legend Zinedine Zidane are the only players to win the award 3 times.
In an outstanding 18-year career, Ronaldo had played for top Euro clubs PSV Eindhoven, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Real Madrid. Knee issues and hypothyroidism, which slows down metabolism and causes weight gain, forced him to retire from active play in 2011.
One of the greatest footballers of all time, Ronaldo has a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike worth $180 million, owns Real Valladolid FC of the second tier Spanish La Liga and Cruziero, playing on the top tier of the Brazilian football league, the Campeonato Brasiliero Serie A.
Like most of the high profile athletes, Ronaldo had his own share of controversies and scandals and as of last count, is engaged to his fifth wife.
Renewing his commitment to “follow the path of good, of my own free will, believing in the love of Jesus, in supportive love”, he embraced the Catholic faith and received the sacrament of baptism at St Joseph’s Parish on the west side neighborhood of Sao Paulo at the age of 47 in a very low key ceremony.
“The Christian faith has always been a fundamental part of my life since I was little although I had not been baptized. With the sacrament, I feel truly regenerated as a child of God in a new, more conscious and deeper way”, Ronaldo said in his IG post.