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Spoilt Ronaldo puts pressure on himself Posted: Saturday August 31, 2002 7:19 PMRIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari described him as "spoilt," while Inter Milan fans have dubbed him "ungrateful." Whatever you call him, Ronaldo, whose dream move from Inter to Real Madrid finally materialised on Saturday, has put himself under enormous pressure to prove he was not a one-month wonder at the World Cup and to regain his shrinking popularity. The Phenomenon's performance in South Korea and Japan, when he bounced back from nearly three years of injury misery to lead Brazil to a fifth World Cup win and scored eight goals to win the golden boot in the process, won him admirers worldwide. His behaviour since -- turning his back on the club that looked after him as he suffered career-threatening injuries to his right knee -- may have alienated many almost as quickly. Outside Milan's headquarters on Saturday some 200 angry Inter fans vented their anger towards their former idol as they held up large banners saying "Infame" (disgrace). Ronaldo was at Inter for five seasons during which he spent most of the last three receiving medical treatment while picking up his reported 4.5 million euro ($4.37 million) salary. He finally looked back to his best for Brazil at the World Cup earlier this year but, instead of showing his gratitude by staying at the Italian club and trying to help them win a title, he announced instead that he wanted to leave. Like a child in a toy shop, he then picked and chose the biggest and the best club for himself to join -- European champions Real Madrid. Real admitted that one of Ronaldo's agents had contacted them offering his services and after a month of kicking and screaming, the striker finally got his own way on Saturday. But after joining Europe's top club in a four-year deal for 47 million euros ($46.31 million) -- the sixth most expensive fee in football history -- Ronaldo now has to prove he really is worth the fuss he and his agents have created over him. His move raises more questions than it answers. Who will make way for him, assuming Real plan to use him in the starting line-up? How will they fit him into the team? Is he really as sharp as he was before his succession of injuries? Will he again get bored after a few months and want to move elsewhere?
GOLDEN PERIODSAlthough spectacularly gifted, Ronaldo's career has been built on two golden periods -- the 1996/97 season he spent at Barcelona, when he scored several amazing goals with rampaging runs from the halfway line, and the 2002 World Cup, when his tally included both goals in the final against Germany. The rest has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. Instead of building on his season at Barcelona -- which earned him a World Player of the Year award -- Ronaldo then became bogged down in one of the longest transfers in history before finally joining Inter Milan. His first season in Italian football was good but not up to the high standards he had set himself at Barcelona -- 34 goals in 47 games and a UEFA Cup title. But he proved incapable of living up to his billing at the 1998 World Cup, when his four goals were overshadowed by the mystery over what happened to him on the day of the final against France. Ronaldo played hours after suffering a mysterious illness in the team hotel, looked dazed and lethargic and made a negligible contribution as Brazil lost 3-0. By that time, Brazilians were already wondering about the player's jet-setting lifestyle. Many were amazed that he managed to fit in any football at all in between all the travelling and publicity engagements. He opened a bar in Rio de Janeiro, was photographed wearing a silly hat in Hong Kong and escaped injury when he skidded off the track while test-driving his latest car at the city's racetrack. He also took up golf. Months later, Ronaldo's injury hell began. He had two knee operations in less than a year and, when he finally made his Serie A comeback last season, was plagued by a series of muscular injuries. Inter agreed to let Ronaldo return to Brazil at the start of this year where an eight-strong team of professionals spent one month effectively rebuilding him. It worked and Ronaldo looked to be himself again at the World Cup.
OLD PROBLEMSUnfortunately, the old problems again returned. He became involved in a slanging match after Scolari admitted that during the World Cup he had worked hard to make Ronaldo play for the team. "He was -- how can we say it -- a spoilt player," said Scolari. Instead building on his performance, Ronaldo became bogged down in another transfer saga after saying he wanted to leave Inter. He would not say why, but most fingers point to the down-to-earth and egalitarian approach by the club's Argentine coach Hector Cuper, who refused to give him superstar status. When he returned home for Brazil's friendly international against Paraguay, Ronaldo still seemed to be in party mode nearly seven weeks after the World Cup final. He spent one day in Sao Paulo involved in engagements for his sponsors. The next day, he jumped into a helicopter and went to visit an island he had bought off the coast near Rio de Janeiro. Then, when it was time to fly to Fortaleza for the match, he missed his plane after claiming to have been caught up in traffic. His sad and lethargic performance against the Paraguayans lasted just 33 minutes before he was taken off clearly exhausted. It has been his only game since he claimed the World Cup for Brazil in that historic final on June 30. Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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