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Ronaldo's happy ending on hold
Posted: Thursday April 13, 2000 09:05 PM
Ronaldo is a player seemingly born for greatness. Emerging from the outskirts of Rio to conquer the world with the kind of pace, power and poise that had many casting him as a football messiah. Signed to professional terms at 14, after spells at Social Ramos, Sow Cristovao, and Cruzeiro of Brazil, during which time he earned the first of his 66 international caps, he went to Europe in 1994, in a US$4.7 million move to PSV Eindhoven, where he'd finish as Holland's top-scorer in his first season. The first doubts about his knee were cast in February 1996, when he underwent an operation. However it didn't stop Barcelona from parting with a world-record US$19.5 million just five months later to take him to Spain, where he was an instant sensation. He scored 33 goals in 38 games, helping Barca win the Cup-Winners Cup and earning him his first FIFA World Player of the Year award. By June of 1997, though, Ronaldo was restless. And after one of the longest transfer disputes in football history, he finally completed a world-record US$27.9 million dollar move to Inter Milan of Italy in September of that year. He was again an immediate sensation, with his every move a subject of national debate, even at the highest level.
He'd end his first season with 34-goals from 47-matches; a uefa-cup winners medal; the european footballer of the year award, and his second "consecutive" "world"-player of the year crown. Indeed, ahead of the 1998 World Cup finals, Ronaldo was perhaps the biggest sporting name on the planet, able to request and receive an audience with Pope John Paul II and boast friendships with some of the world's most fashionable stars, such as teen tennis heartthrob Anna Kournikova. In short, he was a role model to millions. But just when the stage seemed set for Ronaldo to take the final step toward greatness, things went wrong. First, a less-than-stellar World Cup campaign ended in a mysterious illness that nearly kept him out of the Brazilian lineup that lost in the final against France. Next, inflamed tendons in his right knee put him out of the Inter side for a month.
A brief return then lasted just 45 minutes before he was taken off injured against AC Milan. And when he tried to come back again after a three-match absence, he broke down against Real Madrid in the Champions League. By now Ronaldo -- along with many involved with the game -- suspected a chronic injury. And while he'd end the 1999 season with 15 goals, including six in his last six games, he'd been restricted to just 26 appearances after missing 10 games for treatment to both knees. Still, the impression created was that Ronaldo was back on track. Even to the extent that he could take on responsibilities beyond the game, such as a goodwill visit to war-torn Kosovo. In November of last year, however, the illusion was finally shattered. A ruptured a kneecap tendon -- suffered when he tripped during a Serie A game with Lecce -- forced an immediate trip to Paris where surgeons performed an operation that would keep him sidelined for five months. Despite the long road ahead of him, Ronaldo's upbeat mood was reflected in his actions, as the young Brazilian continued to hit the headlines. First by becoming a United Nations goodwill ambassador. Then by marrying his girlfriend, Milene. And lastly by becoming a father for the first time when baby Ronald was born a week ago in Milan. Finally, after a successful comeback on the training pitch, Ronaldo's life at last seemed to have come full circle. And when Inter confirmed his return to first-team action in this week's Italian Cup final against Lazio, it seemed his star was once more on the rise. Sadly, as we now know, a happy ending -- if there's to be one -- has again been put indefinitely on hold. Terry Baddoo is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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