In one of his first matches for the Brazilian Championship in 1993, he scored five goals, one of which lifted fans from their seats.
Ronaldo, the ‘phenomenon’, who currently serves as president of Real Valladolid, a team that will face Real Madrid today 24 from LaLiga, debuted as a professional with just 16 years in the first team cruiseIn a year and a half in Toca da Raposa, the former striker He scored 56 goals in 58 games, was called up to the Brazilian national team and won the 1994 World Cup before earning his place in European football.
However, early in his career, he was an unknown young man.
From São Cristóvão, Ronaldo spent little time in the youth categories at Cruzeiro before being promoted to the main team and making his debut against Caldense in the Mineiro Championship. The match, held on May 25, 1993 at the Ronaldão Stadium in Poços de Caldas, ended with a 1-0 victory.
“We made a pact for all of us to pat him on the back before the games. He was a 17-year-old boy who started to become the kid of the whole group. We support him a lot. Nonato, Paulo Roberto, Roberto Gaúcho … We built a relationship to help him and we saw great potential, “Toninho Cecílio, a former Cruzeiro defender, told ESPN.com.
One of the young man’s most striking moments with the Minas Gerais team was the 6-0 victory over Bahia. In the match, valid for the 1993 Brazilian championship, he scored five goals, in the last of which the striker stole the ball from Uruguayan goalkeeper Rodolfo Rodríguez.
Rodolfo didn’t realize it. It was an unusual game, especially with him as the goalkeeper. I turned my back to the defense and didn’t see the game because the ball was being dominated. I heard the noise from the crowd and when I turned around, the goal was already over (laughs). We didn’t believe in the game and we joked a lot in the locker room, “said Toninho.
The striker arrived in August 1994 it was sold to PSV of the Netherlands for six million dollars. He then played for Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Milan and Corinthians, the club where he hung his shoes on in 2011.
“To be honest, what impressed me the most was that he solved the games for us. But when I was 17, I had a clear idea that he was going to be a monster for the World Cup. it really was that he would be one of the best in history. It’s above Careca, Ibra, Baggio … I couldn’t measure this level at the time, ”admitted Toninho.
With the Brazilian team, the ‘phenomenon’ has scored 67 goals in 98 games and is behind Pelé alone. In four World Cups, he scored 15 times in 19 matches, one less than Miroslav Klose.