Roberto Carlos on R9: “He was the best. There will never be another ‘Fenomeno’. Not Neymar, Cristiano or Messi.
I think in our generation it was harder to score goals. It was more physical back then and attackers were less protected. But Ronaldo could do everything.”
Ronaldo was transferred in 1994 from Cruzeiro to PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands, where he scored 55 goals in 56 games and won the 1995 league championship and the 1996 Dutch Cup.
After switching to FC Barcelona of Spain for the 1996–97 season, he scored 34 goals in 37 appearances and helped his team capture the Spanish Super Cup. Because of his success, Ronaldo was paid $27 million byInter Milan to play for the Italian club in 1997, a record at the time.
At Inter his excellent dribbling skills and Knack for scoring goals earned him the nickname “Il Fenomeno.” In 1997 Ronaldo became the first player to win FIFA’s Player of the Year award two years in a row. In 1999, however, he suffered a serious knee injury that left him unable to play for almost two years.
Ronaldo (born September 22, 1976, Itaguai, Brazil) is a former football (soccer) player who led Brazil to a World Cup title in 2002 and who received three Player of the Year awards (1996–97 and 2002) from the FIFA.
