Thank you, Ronaldo!

By Márcio Kroehn_247 – When someone in the future asks why Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in the history of world football, say that he was, without fear of being wrong, a Phenomenon. But not a phenomenon like Pelé, who scored 1.281 goals in his career in 1.363 matches and was the most complete player on the pitch; nor a magician, like the Argentinian Diego Maradona, who, like a one-legged imp, dribbled, shot, passed and enchanted with only one leg; much less a cerebral genius, like the German Franz Beckenbauer; or a maestro like Zinedine Zidane, who dethroned Michel Platini as the greatest French athlete. Ronaldo was a phenomenon of rebirth.

Throughout his 18-year career, his sporting life went from euphoria to depression many times. Ronaldo scored as many goals as he frequented the physiotherapy department of the seven clubs he played for. At his worst moment, in 2000, the whole world watched live as he suffered on the Italian pitch. And with the camera zooming in on his kneecap detaching from his right knee. A scene from a horror movie, which seemed to lead to the end of his sporting days. But from this hell, Ronaldo found the strength to rise to heaven with the title in the 2002 World Cup. That's how the myth came closer to mortals and showed that he was as much flesh and blood as each of us, that he made mistakes, got things right, fought, fell and got back up.

Cruzeiro, PSV, Internazionale, Barcelona, ​​Milan, Real Madrid, and Corinthians. Ronaldinho became Ronaldo, who transformed into the biggest star of modern football. Back in 1993, he was one of the first players to sign a multi-million dollar contract with a sportswear brand, practically without an expiration date. Nike, which only had eyes for basketball, placed Ronaldo on the same level as Michael Jordan. It was one of the American brand's first bets on "soccer." And it had no reason to regret it. Like few others, Ronaldo understood his mission as a sports idol. He never identified with just one team, but with the fans who idolized him. Without distinction of colors, he wore the shirts of rival teams and received no hatred in return. Being Ronaldo was an excuse for any passionate anger.

With the Brazilian national team, he is the greatest after Pelé. He scored 62 goals in 97 matches, participated in three consecutive World Cup finals, won two titles, and is the competition's all-time top scorer with 15 goals. In total, he scored 414 goals in 614 career games, won three FIFA Best Player awards, and was elected the best player of the 98 World Cup. Ronaldo, the phenomenon of rebirth, will certainly not be recognized for his impressive numbers. His story will be told through great plays, bursts of speed, explosiveness, and the incredible moments he showcased on the pitch. Now, we can only be grateful. And remember some of those great moments:

Ronaldinho, from Cruzeiro Ronaldo's first big moment in football: five goals for Cruzeiro in a 6-0 thrashing of Bahia in the 1993 Brazilian Championship, including a goal where he "stole" the ball from Rodolfo Rodrigues' hands.

The star player emerges. After two years at PSV, Ronaldo went to Barcelona and enchanted the Spanish fans with his fine technique and extreme physical strength. In just one season, he had one of the best periods of his entire career (49 games and 47 goals), including his most beautiful goal, against Compostela.

The Phenomenon is Born The Italians coined the term "Phenomenon," and Ronaldo experienced highs and lows at Inter Milan. He spent five seasons there, but only played 99 games and scored 59 goals.

Weak knee Ronaldo was returning to the pitch against Lazio in April 2000. After only a few minutes on the field, his knee gave out.

Galactic phenomenon After winning the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo was announced as part of the Galácticos team that Real Madrid was assembling for the following seasons. In five seasons, he played 177 games and scored 104 goals.

Milan, the European end After the 2006 World Cup, where he became the tournament's all-time top scorer with 15 goals, Ronaldo returned to Italy, to Milan, where he stayed for two seasons and scored nine goals in 20 games.

R9 As the first Brazilian soccer player to sign an open-ended contract with a sporting goods company, Ronaldo became a brand (R9) and starred in several commercials with Nike.

World Cup: 15 goals Ronaldo played in three World Cups (he was a reserve in 1994). He played 19 games and scored 15 goals.

Another crazy person Ronaldo arrived at Corinthians saying he was "just another one for the crazy bunch". In his second game, the derby against Palmeiras in 2009, he scored a header and climbed the fence to celebrate with the fans. His greatest moment in a Corinthians shirt was the final of the Paulista championship that same year, against Santos, when he scored a lobbed goal over Fábio Costa.