Few monikers are as correct as Ronaldo’s. The Brazilian celebrity was swiftly dubbed ‘The Phenomenon’ and, nicely, that is precisely what he was.
After dazzling in his homeland, Ronaldo took his genius, athleticism and sharpshooting to Europe for the height of his profession. He left a legacy few others have matched or surpassed, with accidents arguably the one factor stopping the centre-forward from changing into the best of all time.
Whereas Ronaldo’s profession was not as trophy-laden as one may count on, O Fenomeno claimed his justifiable share of particular person prizes. For each his performances on the worldwide stage with Brazil and at membership degree with a handful of Europe’s elite sides, Ronaldo was revered for his magic internationally.
Let’s take a deep dive into Ronaldo’s historical past with probably the most prestigious particular person prize available on the market – the Ballon d’Or.
Ronaldo is one in all a choose group of people who’ve gained the Ballon d’Or on multiple event. The striker claimed the prize twice over the course of his illustrious profession and have become the youngest recipient of the award – a report he nonetheless holds right this moment – following his first triumph in 1997.
Having astounded throughout his solo season with Barcelona in 1996/97, Ronaldo then solidified his place because the rightful victor of the Ballon d’Or following his transfer to Inter. He had completed his time with the Catalan giants by scooping the Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and took no time settling in Italy. He noticed off Predrag Mijatovic and Zinedine Zidane to win the award by a landslide.
Ronaldo’s second crown got here 5 years later in 2002 after a third-placed end in 1998. The celebrity made the transfer to Actual Madrid from Inter midway by way of the yr of his triumph nevertheless it was his shows on the 2002 FIFA World Cup that cemented his victory.
Brazil gained the event co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, profitable each single one in all their matches throughout the competitors. Ronaldo completed up with the Golden Boot after scoring a exceptional eight occasions, together with two within the ultimate in opposition to Germany that each one however secured his spot because the world’s greatest for a second time.
Ronaldo turned the youngest winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1997 however might have claimed his maiden victory even earlier. Having moved to PSV Eindhoven from Cruzeiro in 1994, the ahead then made the transfer to Barcelona in 1996.
As talked about, he solely featured at Camp Nou for one season, however he made an infinite impression. Having already gained the KNVB Cup with PSV earlier that yr, Ronaldo made a lightning quick begin to life in Catalonia. By the point 1997 rolled round, he had already scored 17 targets for his new membership, a tally he would take to 47 in all competitions come the top of the season.
Ronaldo was already broadly thought of the world’s greatest striker and was named FIFA World Participant of the 12 months in 1996. Nonetheless, whereas that individual award has since been subsumed by the Ballon d’Or, it was a totally completely different accolade till 2010.
Within the precise Ballon d’Or vote in 1996, Ronaldo would solely end runner-up, controversially failing to topple Borussia Dortmund’s Matthias Sammer after he gained the Bundesliga and the European Championship with Germany that yr. Ronaldo completed behind Sammer by a single level even supposing the latter completed fourth within the FIFA Greatest Participant of the 12 months award.
To today, many nonetheless consider that Ronaldo was robbed of a primary Ballon d’Or in 1996, a prize that will have seen him finish his profession with three complete triumphs – the identical quantity as Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.