Ronaldo

Playername	Ronaldo
Caption	Ronaldo with Corinthians in 2009
Fullname	Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
Height
Dateofbirth	September 18, 1976
Cityofbirth	Rio de Janeiro
Countryofbirth	Brazil
Position	Striker
Youthyears1	1986–1989 |youthclubs1 = Tennis Club Valqueire
Youthyears2	1989–1990 |youthclubs2 = Social Ramos Club
Youthyears3	1990–1993 |youthclubs3 = São Cristóvão
Years1	1993–1994 |clubs1 = Cruzeiro |caps1 = 14 |goals1 = 12
Years2	1994–1996 |clubs2 = PSV |caps2 = 46 |goals2 = 42
Years3	1996–1997 |clubs3 = Barcelona |caps3 = 37 |goals3 = 34
Years4	1997–2002 |clubs4 = Inter Milan |caps4 = 68 |goals4 = 49
Years5	2002–2006 |clubs5 = Real Madrid |caps5 = 127 |goals5 = 83
Years6	2007–2008 |clubs6 = AC Milan |caps6 = 20 |goals6 = 9
Years7	2009–2011 |clubs7 = Corinthians |caps7 = 31 |goals7 = 18
Totalcaps	343
Totalgoals	247
Nationalyears1	1994–2011 |nationalteam1 = Brazil |nationalcaps1 = 98 |nationalgoals1 = 62
Medaltemplates	}}

}}

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (; born 18 September 1976), commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo was one of the most prolific scorers in the world in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. He won his first Ballon d'Or as the European Footballer of the Year in 1997 (aged only 21) and again won the award in 2002 (26 years old). Additionally, he is one of only two men to have won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times, along with French footballer Zinedine Zidane.

In 2007, he was named as one of the best starting eleven of all-time by France Football and was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest footballers compiled by fellow countryman Pelé. In 2010, he was voted Goal.com's "Player of the Decade" in an online poll, gathering 43.63 percent of all votes and was also included as centre forward in the "Team of the Decade." On 23 February 2010, Ronaldo announced that he will retire after the 2011 season, signing a two-year contract extension with the Corinthians at the same time. He is widely considered by experts and fans as one of the greatest players of all time.

Ronaldo has played for Brazil in 97 international matches, amassing 62 goals. He was a part of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo became the highest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup with his fifteenth goal, surpassing Gerd Müller's previous record of 14.

Ronaldo retired on 14 February 2011, citing pain and hypothyroidism as the reasons for his premature retirement.

Club career

1993: Cruzeiro

In 1993, Ronaldo began his football career playing for Cruzeiro which was already going on to become a successful club. In his first and only year with Cruzeiro, he amassed 12 goals in 14 appearances and led them to their first Copa do Brasil championship. Prior to this, he was turned down by his boyhood favourite team Flamengo, but Brazilian World Cup legend Jairzinho saw Ronaldo's potential and helped get him the move to Cruzeiro.

1994–1996: PSV Eindhoven

Ronaldo chose to join PSV after the 1994 World Cup, for he was selected despite being just 17, but did not play. It was Romário who advised Ronaldo to start his European career at PSV; Romário being a former striker of the team from 1988–1993. Ronaldo scored 30 league goals in his first season in Holland. His second season was marred by a knee injury which kept him out of most of the campaign, but he still averaged nearly a goal a game in the league, with 12 in his 13 appearances. With PSV, Ronaldo won the Dutch Cup in 1996 and he was Eredivisie top scorer in 1995.

1996–1997: Barcelona

During his spell at PSV, Ronaldo attracted the attention of notably Inter Milan and FC Barcelona. It was Barcelona that was willing to pay the then record fee of $17 million. During the 1996–97 season Ronaldo scored an incredible 47 goals in 49 games (in all competitions) for Barça, leading the Catalan side to UEFA Cup Winners' Cup triumph (where he capped the season with the winning goal in the cup final itself) and to Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España wins. He also won La Liga top scorer award in 1997 with 34 goals in 37 games. Until the 2008–09 season, Ronaldo remained the last player to score more than 30 goals in La Liga. At the age of 20, Ronaldo became the youngest player to win FIFA World Player of the Year in 1996. He also finished runner-up for the Ballon d'Or. against Paris Saint-Germain.]]

1997–2002: Inter Milan

Ronaldo's time at Barça was brief, as there were problems with the renegotiation of Ronaldo's contract. Ronaldo's unhappiness became evident and at the end of the season, by paying the buy out clause fee in his contract, Inter Milan signed him the following year for a then world record fee of £19 million. Ronaldo duly helped them repeat his former side's cup-winning run, this time in the UEFA Cup, in which he scored their third goal in the final itself. Ronaldo adapted to the Italian style of the game in his first season, finishing second on the league's scoring charts. Ronaldo started to develop into a complete forward. He began racking up assists, became first-choice penalty taker, taking and scoring freekicks, and captaining the team at the end of the season. During his time with Inter, he scored several goals against A.C. Milan in the Derby della Madonnina. He won FIFA World Player of the Year for the second time in 1997, and collected the Ballon d'Or the same year. The following year, after the FIFA World Cup, he finished second for FIFA player of the year, and third for European Footballer of the Year. At this point in his career, he was clearly and widely regarded as the best player in the world.

On 21 November 1999, during a Serie A match against Lecce, Ronaldo felt his knee buckle and was forced to limp off the pitch. Medical exams after the match confirmed that the striker had ruptured a tendon in his knee and would require surgery. During his first comeback on 12 April 2000, he played only seven minutes during the first leg of the Coppa Italia final against Lazio before injuring his knee for a second time. After two operations and months of rehabilitation, Ronaldo came back for the 2002 World Cup, helping Brazil win their fifth World Cup title. Later in 2002, he won the World Player of the Year award for the third time, and transferred from Inter to Real Madrid. Ronaldo was given his most recognizable nickname, , by the Italian press while playing there. He was named the 20th top footballer of all time for Inter, according to Times Online, and only his injuries prevented a higher ranking. He played 99 games and scored 59 goals for Nerazzurri.

2002–2006: Real Madrid

, 21 December 2005.]] Having signed for Real Madrid C.F. for €46 million, his jersey sales broke all records on the first day, such was the obsession and hype surrounding him. He was sidelined through injury until October 2002 but the fans kept on chanting his name. Ronaldo scored twice in his debut for Real Madrid. He received a standing ovation at the Stadium Bernabéu. That same reception was observed on the night of the final game of the season against Athletic Bilbao, where Ronaldo scored again to seal his first season with 23 league goals and the La Liga Championship title for 2003, which Ronaldo had previously failed to win while with FC Barcelona. With Madrid, he also won an Intercontinental Cup in 2002 and Spanish Super Cup in 2003. , 2 March 2005]]In the second leg of Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford, knocking the English team out of the competition. Madrid was on track to win the treble until Ronaldo was injured towards the end of the 2003–04 season; they subsequently lost the Copa del Rey final, were knocked out of the Champions league quarter-finals, and suffered a league form breakdown. That season, he finished as the league's top scorer with 24 goals and was awarded the Pichichi Trophy, despite Madrid losing the league title to Valencia CF. With the acquisition of Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2006, Ronaldo grew more and more out of favour with the manager Fabio Capello due to injuries and weight issues.

2007–2008: AC Milan

On 18 January 2007, it was reported that Ronaldo agreed terms with A.C. Milan for a transfer of €8.05 million. Ronaldo was forced to pay for the remaining period on his contract which tied him to Real Madrid, only because the latter did not agree to release him, while AC Milan were not ready to pay such a sum. On 25 January, Ronaldo flew from Madrid to AC Milan to watch AC Milan in a cup tie against Roma. Statements on the club's website said that Ronaldo was in AC Milan for a medical, and that a meeting had been arranged for Monday with Real Madrid officials to discuss and finalize his transfer to AC Milan. On 26 January, Ronaldo successfully completed his medical tests at the Milanello training complex under the supervision of club doctors, and the transfer completed on 30 January and got the squad number 99. He made his debut as a substitute on 11 February 2007, during the 2–1 victory over Livorno. The next game at Siena, on 17 February, Ronaldo scored twice and assisted on a third goal in his first start for AC Milan, as they won an exciting game 4–3. In his first season, Ronaldo scored seven goals in 14 appearances. He was released by AC Milan at the end of the season, as his contract expired and was not renewed.

2009–2011: Corinthians

Ronaldo trained with Flamengo during his recovery from knee surgery, and the club's board of directors said that the doors were open for him to join. On 9 December, however, Ronaldo signed a one-year deal with Flamengo's league rival Corinthians. The announcement received high publicity in the Brazilian press about his favouring Corinthians over Flamengo, since Ronaldo publicly declared himself a Flamengo lover and had promised to defend the club.

Ronaldo played his first match for Corinthians on 4 March 2009, a Copa do Brasil match against Itumbiara at Estádio Juscelino Kubitschek, in which he came as a substitute for Jorge Henrique. Ronaldo scored his first goal for Corinthians on 8 March 2009 in a Campeonato Paulista match against Palmeiras. He helped Corinthians win the Campeonato Paulista with 10 goals in 14 games.

Ronaldo helped Corinthians defeat Internacional with an aggregate score of 4–2 to help the club win its third Brazil Cup (the second of his career), thus earning a spot in the Copa Libertadores 2010. He returned on 20 September in a match against Goiás. On 27 September 2009, he scored for Corinthians in the 1–1 draw against São Paulo FC. He finished the Brazilian Serie A 2009 with 12 goals in 20 matches. In February 2010, Ronaldo signed a contract extension with Corinthians that would keep him with the club until the end of 2011, and said he would then retire.

In February 2011, after Corinthians were eliminated from the 2011 Copa Libertadores by the Colombian team Deportes Tolima, Ronaldo announced his retirement from football. In a press conference on 14 February 2011, he admitted his body had finally succumbed to the crippling litany of injuries that have blighted his career. "It's very hard to leave something that made me so happy. Mentally I wanted to continue but I have to acknowledge that I lost to my body," he stated.

International career

Ronaldo made his international debut for Brazil in 1994, in a friendly match in Recife against Argentina. He went to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States as a 17-year-old, but did not play. He came to be known as Ronaldinho ("little Ronaldo" in Portuguese), because Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus, his older team-mate on the tournament, was also called Ronaldo and also nicknamed Ronaldão ("big Ronaldo") to further distinguish them. Another Brazilian player, Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, who is widely known as Ronaldinho, would come to be called Ronaldinho Gaúcho when he joined the Brazilian main national team in 1999.

In the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ronaldo played with the name Ronaldinho on his shirt, since centreback Ronaldo Guiaro, two years his senior, was one of his teammates. Brazil went on to win the bronze medal in Atlanta.

1998 FIFA World Cup

Voted the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997, he scored four goals and made three assists during the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The night before the final, he suffered a convulsive fit. At first, Ronaldo was removed from the starting lineup 72 minutes before the match, but he requested to play and was later reinstated by coach Mario Zagallo. Ronaldo did not perform well and he was injured in a collision with French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. Brazil lost the final to hosts France 3–0. Adrian Williams, professor of clinical neurology at Birmingham University, said that Ronaldo should not have played, saying that he would have been feeling the after effects of the seizure and that "there is no way that he would have been able to perform to the best of his ability within 24 hours of his first fit – if it was his first fit."

2002 FIFA World Cup

During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo again led the national team to their record fifth championship and won the Golden Shoe as top scorer with eight goals and was runner-up to the Golden Ball as most valuable player in the tournament. He also scored against every opponent in the tournament except in the quarter-finals against England. In the final match against Germany, Ronaldo scored his 11th and 12th goals to a round of applause and tied Pelé's Brazilian record of 12 career World Cup goals.

2006 FIFA World Cup

On 2 June 2004, Ronaldo scored an unusual hat-trick of penalties for Brazil against arch-rivals Argentina in a 2006 World Cup qualifying match.

At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, although Brazil won their first two group games against Croatia and Australia, respectively, Ronaldo was repeatedly jeered for being overweight and slow. Nonetheless, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira kept him in the starting lineup in face of calls to have Ronaldo replaced. With his two goals against Japan in the third match, he became the 20th player ever to score in three different FIFA World Cups and also equalled the all-time World Cup finals scoring record of 14, held by Gerd Müller (Ronaldo scored at France 98, Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006). and then broke Müller's record in the Round of 16 match against Ghana by scoring his 15th World Cup goal. He also equalled a much less talked about mark: with his third goal of the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo became only the second player ever, after Jürgen Klinsmann, to score at least three goals in each of three World Cups. Brazil, however, were knocked out by France 1–0 in the quarter-finals.

Ronaldo and Klinsmann's record of at least three goals in each of three World Cup finals has now been both equalled and bettered by the German Miroslav Klose, who now has a record of at least four goals in each of three tournaments, having netted five at both the 2002 and 2006 finals, and four at the 2010 tournament.

Farewell match

In February 2011 it was announced that Ronaldo will be given one very last match for Brazil, five years after his last match with the national team, a friendly against Romania was held in São Paulo on 7 June 2011. Despite it being almost unheard of in international football for players to be given farewell matches for their national side, CBF officials have stated that given the extraordinary career of Ronaldo, it is only fitting that his last hurrah should take place in Brazil while representing his nation. He played for 15 minutes in a match that ended with a Brazilian victory with a single goal from Fred at the 21st minute.

World Cup goals

Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France 27 June 1998 27 June 1998 7 July 1998 3 June 2002 8 June 2002 13 June 2002 13 June 2002 17 June 2002 26 June 2002 30 June 2002 30 June 2002 22 June 2006 22 June 2006 27 June 2006

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! World Cup !! Round
1.	16 June 1998	|		1 – 0	3–0	1998 FIFA World Cup>1998	1998 FIFA World Cup Group A>Group stage
2.	|	Parc des Princes, Paris, France		3 – 0	4–1	1998 FIFA World Cup>1998	1998 FIFA World Cup knockout stage>Round of 16
3.	|	Parc des Princes, Paris, France		4 – 1	4–1	1998 FIFA World Cup>1998	1998 FIFA World Cup knockout stage>Round of 16
4.	|	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France		1 – 0	1–1	1998 FIFA World Cup>1998	1998 FIFA World Cup knockout stage>Semi-final
5.	|	Munsu Cup Stadium, Ulsan, Korea Republic		1 – 1	2–1	2002 FIFA World Cup>2002	2002 FIFA World Cup Group C>Group stage
6.	|	Jeju World Cup Stadium, Seogwipo, Korea Republic		4 – 0	4–0	2002 FIFA World Cup>2002	2002 FIFA World Cup Group C>Group stage
7.	|	Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, Korea Republic		0 – 1	2–5	2002 FIFA World Cup>2002	2002 FIFA World Cup Group C>Group stage
8.	|	Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, Korea Republic		0 – 2	2–5	2002 FIFA World Cup>2002	2002 FIFA World Cup Group C>Group stage
9.	|	Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe, Japan		2 – 0	2–0	2002 FIFA World Cup>2002	2002 FIFA World Cup knockout stage>Round of 16
10.	|	Saitama Stadium, Saitama, Saitama>Saitama, Japan		1 – 0	1–0	2002 FIFA World Cup>2002	2002 FIFA World Cup knockout stage>Semi-final
11.	|	International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan		0 – 1	0–2	2002 FIFA World Cup>2002	2002 FIFA World Cup Final>Final
12.	|	International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan		0 – 2	0–2	2002 FIFA World Cup>2002	2002 FIFA World Cup Final>Final
13.	|	Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany		1 – 1	1–4	2006 FIFA World Cup>2006	2006 FIFA World Cup Group F>Group stage
14.	|	Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany		1 – 4	1–4	2006 FIFA World Cup>2006	2006 FIFA World Cup Group F>Group stage
15.	|	Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany		1 – 0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup>2006	2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage>Round of 16

Career statistics

Club

rowspan=2 12 0 14 rowspan="2" 30 13 !colspan="3" 34 !colspan="3" rowspan="5" 25 19 7 0 10 !colspan="3" rowspan="5" 23 32 34 23 7 !colspan="3" rowspan="2" 7 6 !colspan="3" rowspan="3" 12 3 11 3 31 !colspan="3"

Season	Club	League	League	RegionalLeague	Cups	Continental	Other	Total
!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1993	1993	Cruzeiro||rowspan=2|Série A		14	|	2
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 1994	1994
Total	|	12	20	22	-	-	12	10	1	0	47	44
Eredivisie 1994-95	1994–95	PSV||rowspan="2"|Eredivisie		33
Eredivisie 1995-96	1995–96		|12|
Total ||	46	42	-	-	4	3	7	9	-	-	57	54
La Liga 1996-97	1996–97	FC Barcelona>Barcelona		37
Total ||	37	34	-	-	4	6	7	5	1	2	49	47
Serie A 1997-98	1997–98	Inter Milan||rowspan="5"|Serie A		32
Serie A 1998-99	1998–99		|14|
Serie A 1999-00	1999–00		|3|
Serie A 2000-01	2000–01		|0|
Serie A 2001-02	2001–02		|7|
Total ||	68	49	-	-	8	3	22	7	1	0	99	59
La Liga 2002-03	2002–03	Real Madrid||rowspan="5"|La Liga		31
La Liga 2003-04	2003–04		|24|
La Liga 2004-05	2004–05		|21|
La Liga 2005-06	2005–06		|14|
La Liga 2006-07	2006–07		|1|
Total ||	127	83	-	-	11	4	36	15	3	2	177	104
Serie A 2006-07	2006–07	AC Milan||rowspan="2"|Serie A		14
Serie A 2007-08	2007–08		|2|
Total ||	20	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	20	9
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 2009	2009	Corinthians||rowspan="3"|Série A		20	|	10	8	8
2010 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A	2010		|	6	9
2011 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A	2011
Total	|	18	21	11	8	3	9	3	-	-	69	35
Career totals ||	343	247	41	33	35	19	93	49	6	4	518	352

Other - Recopa Sudamericana, Supercopa de España, Intercontinental Cup, & UEFA Cup Play-Off (at Coppa Italia)

List of Goals for Barcelona (47)

25/08/96 25/08/96 12/09/96 12/09/96 15/09/96 22/09/96 22/09/96 29/09/96 29/09/96 12/10/96 12/10/96 20/10/96 20/10/96 26/10/96 26/10/96 26/10/96 18/11/96 13/01/97 19/01/97 26/01/97 26/01/97 30/01/97 02/02/97 23/02/97 23/02/97 23/02/97 06/03/97 09/03/97 12/03/97 12/03/97 12/03/97 20/03/97 23/03/97 26/03/97 26/03/97 30/03/97 06/04/97 13/04/97 13/04/97 13/04/97 16/04/97 20/04/97 05/05/97 10/05/97 14/05/97 19/05/97 24/05/97

+
scope="col"	No.	Opponent	H/A	Date	Comp.	Round	Score	Result
1	Atlético Madrid	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996 Supercopa de España>Supercopa	Final	1-0	5-2
scope="row'>2	Atlético Madrid	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996 Supercopa de España>Supercopa	Final	5-2	5-2
scope="row'	3	AEK Larnaca	Camp Nou>Home	|	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1996-97>UEFA CWC	1st	1-0	2-0
scope="row'	4	AEK Larnaca	Camp Nou>Home	|	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1996-97>UEFA CWC	1st	2-0	2-0
scope="row'	5	Racing Santander	El Sardinero>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 3	0-1	1-1
scope="row'	6	Real Sociedad	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 4	1-0	3-2
scope="row'	7	Real Sociedad	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 4	2-2	3-2
scope="row'	8	Real Zaragoza	La Romareda>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 5	3-2	3-5
scope="row'	9	Real Zaragoza	La Romareda>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 5	3-5	3-5
scope="row'	10	SD Compostela	Compostela	San Lázaro Stadium>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 7	1-3	1-5
scope="row'	11	SD Compostela	Compostela	San Lázaro Stadium>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 7	1-4	1-5
scope="row'	12	CD Logroñes	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 8	3-0	8-0
scope="row'	13	CD Logroñes	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 8	8-0	8-0
scope="row'	14	Valencia CF	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 10	1-0	3-2
scope="row'	15	Valencia CF	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 10	2-0	3-2
scope="row'	16	Valencia CF	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 10	3-2	3-2
scope="row'	17	Real Valladolid	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 13	2-0	6-1
scope="row'	18	Hércules CF	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 19	2-0	2-3
scope="row'	19	Real Betis	Benito Villamarin>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 20	2-3	2-4
scope="row'	20	Rayo Vallecano	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 21	4-0	6-0
scope="row'	21	Rayo Vallecano	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 21	5-0	6-0
scope="row'	22	Real Madrid	Camp Nou>Home	|	Copa del Rey 1996–97>Copa del Rey	R16	1-0	3-2
scope="row'	23	Real Oviedo	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 22	2-0	2-2
scope="row'	24	Real Zaragoza	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 26	2-0	4-1
scope="row'	25	Real Zaragoza	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 26	3-0	4-1
scope="row'	26	Real Zaragoza	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 26	4-0	4-1
scope="row'	27	AIK Solna	Camp Nou>Home	|	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1996-97>UEFA CWC	Q-F	2-1	3-1
scope="row'	28	SD Compostela	Compostela	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 28	3-0	3-0
scope="row'	29	Atlético Madrid	Camp Nou>Home	|	Copa del Rey 1996–97>Copa del Rey	Q-F	1-3	5-4
scope="row'	30	Atlético Madrid	Camp Nou>Home	|	Copa del Rey 1996–97>Copa del Rey	Q-F	2-3	5-4
scope="row'	31	Atlético Madrid	Camp Nou>Home	|	Copa del Rey 1996–97>Copa del Rey	Q-F	4-4	5-4
scope="row'	32	AIK Solna	Råsunda Stadium>Away	|	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1996-97>UEFA CWC	Q-F	0-1	1-1
scope="row'	33	Sevilla FC	Sevilla	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 30	2-0	4-0
scope="row'	34	UD Las Palmas	Las Palmas	Estadio de Gran Canaria>Away	|	Copa del Rey 1996–97>Copa del Rey	S-F	0-1	0-4
scope="row'	35	UD Las Palmas	Las Palmas	Estadio de Gran Canaria>Away	|	Copa del Rey 1996–97>Copa del Rey	S-F	0-4	0-4
scope="row'	36	Valencia CF	Mestalla>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 31	1-1	1-1
scope="row'	37	Sporting Gijon	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 32	3-0	4-0
scope="row'	38	Atlético Madrid	Vicente Calderón Stadium>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 33	1-2	2-5
scope="row'	39	Atlético Madrid	Vicente Calderón Stadium>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 33	1-3	2-5
scope="row'	40	Atlético Madrid	Vicente Calderón Stadium>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 33	2-4	2-5
scope="row'	41	Real Valladolid	Estadio José Zorrilla>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 34	0-1	3-1
scope="row'	42	Athletic Bilbao	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 35	2-0	2-0
scope="row'	43	Extremadura CF	Extremadura	Estadio Francisco de la Hera>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 36	0-1	1-3
scope="row'	44	Real Madrid	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 37	1-0	1-0
scope="row'	45	Paris St. Germain	De Kuip>Feijenoord	|	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1996-97>UEFA CWC	Final	1-0	1-0
scope="row'	46	Celta Vigo	Balaídos>Away	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 38	1-3	1-3
scope="row'	47	Deportivo La Coruña	Camp Nou>Home	|	1996-97 La Liga>La Liga	Week 39	1-0	1-0

International

!Total

1994	4
1995	6
1996	4
1997	20
1998	10
1999	10
2000	0
2001	0
2002	12
2003	8
2004	11
2005	5
2006	7
2007	0
2008	0
2009	0
2010	0
2011	1
|	98	62

Career Totals

Professional career totals
! Teams	! Appearances	! Goals	! Goals per game
Clubs	518	352	0.679
	98	62	0.632
	8	6	0.750
Total	624	420	0.673

Honours

Cruzeiro

Campeonato Mineiro: 1994

Copa do Brasil: 1993

PSV

KNVB Cup: 1996

Johan Cruijff-schaal: 1996

Barcelona

Copa del Rey: 1997

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997

Supercopa de España: 1996

Inter Milan

UEFA Cup: 1998

Real Madrid

La Liga: 2002–03, 2006–07

Intercontinental Cup: 2002

Supercopa de España: 2003

Corinthians

Campeonato Paulista: 2009

Copa do Brasil: 2009

National team

FIFA World Cup: 1994, 2002

Copa América: 1997, 1999

FIFA Confederations Cup: 1997

Individual

Supercopa Libertadores Top Scorer: 1993–94

Campeonato Mineiro Top Scorer: 1993–94

Campeonato Mineiro Team of The Year: 1994

Eredivisie Top Scorer: 1994–95

La Liga Top Scorer: 1996–97,2003–2004

European Golden Boot: 1996–97

Don Balón Award La Liga Foreign Player of the Year: 1996–97

Copa América Final Most Valuable Player: 1997

Copa América Most Valuable Player: 1997

Confederations Cup All-Star Team: 1997

Cup Winners Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 1997

Cup Winners Cup Top Goal Scorer: 1996–1997

IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year: 1997

UEFA Most Valuable Player: 1997–98

Serie A Footballer of the Year: 1997–98

Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year: 1997–98

UEFA Best Forward: 1997–98

Bravo Award : 1995, 1997, 1998

FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1998

UEFA Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 1998

Copa América Top Scorer: 1999

Copa América All-Star Team: 1997, 1999

FIFA World Player of the Year: 1996, 1997, 2002

Ballon D'or: 1997, 2002

World Soccer Magazine World Player of The Year: 1996,1997.2002

Onze d'Or: 1997, 2002

FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 2002

FIFA 100

FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1998, 2002

FIFA World Cup Final Most Valuable Player: 2002

FIFA World Cup Top Scorer: 2002

Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player: 2002

UEFA Team of The Year: 2002

Laureus Comeback of the Year: 2002

Strogaldo De Legendary Award 2002

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality: 2002

La Liga South American Player of the Year: 1996–97, 2002–03

Golden Foot award: 2006

Brazilian National Hall of Fame: Class of 2006

Serie A Player of the Decade: 1997–2007

France Football Magazine: Starting eleven of all-time (2007)

FIFA World Cup: All-Time Leading Scorer

Campeonato Paulista: Best Player, 2009

Goal.com: Player of a decade: Winner 2000–2010

Personal life

Ronaldo is the third child of Nélio Nazário de Lima, Snr and Sônia dos Santos Barata, Ronaldo has a brother Nélio Jr.

.]] During 1997, Ronaldo met the Brazilian model and actress Susana Werner on the set of Brazilian telenovela Malhação when they acted together in three episodes. Although never marrying, they began a long-term relationship and lived together in Milan until the beginning of 1999. In April 1999, Ronaldo married female Brazilian footballer Milene Domingues, at the time pregnant with the couple's first son, Ronald. The marriage lasted four years. The couple had a son, Ronald (born in Milan, on April 6, 2000). In 2005, Ronaldo became engaged to Brazilian model and MTV VJ Daniela Cicarelli, who became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage; the relationship lasted for only three months after their luxurious wedding at the Château de Chantilly. The ceremony reportedly cost €700,000 (£896,000).

In April 2008, Ronaldo was involved in a scandal involving three transvestite prostitutes whom he met in a nightclub located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Upon discovering that they were men, Ronaldo offered them $600 to leave. One of the three, however, André Luís Ribeiro Albertini (better known as Andréia Albertini), demanded $30,000 and exposed the case to the media. According to the local police chief, "[Ronaldo] was very excited and wanted to go out and have fun, without the press knowing. Ronaldo said that he is not mentally stable and is having psychological problems because of his recent surgery. But he committed no crime at all, it was immoral at best." Ronaldo's engagement to Maria Beatriz Antony was cancelled immediately after the prostitution scandal but resumed a little later. Maria Beatriz Antony gave birth to their first daughter, named Maria Sophia, in Rio de Janeiro, on 24 December 2008. In April 2009, the whole family moved to a new penthouse in São Paulo. On 6 April 2010, Maria Beatriz Antony gave birth to their second daughter. The girl, born in São Paulo, was named Maria Alice. Coincidently, Maria Alice was born exactly 10 years after her older brother Ronald. In December 2010, Ronaldo and his family moved to a new mansion in São Paulo. Also in December, Ronaldo performed a parental testing and confirmed to be the father of a boy named Alexander (born in April 2005). The boy was born after a brief relationship between Ronaldo and Michele Umezu, a Brazilian waitress whom Ronaldo first met in Tokyo, in 2002. After the confirmation of his fourth child, the striker declared that four is enough, causing him to "close the factory". So, on 26 December 2010, he revealed his recent vasectomy.

Since 2005, Ronaldo has been the co-owner of A1 Team Brazil, along with Brazilian motorsports legend Emerson Fittipaldi.

References

External links

Top.10 players of Brasileiro 2009 Southamericanfutbol.com

ESPN Profile

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