Ronaldo, in wax Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima, ( born September 22, 1976, Itaguai, Brazil ), brazilian 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 Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ).

Ronaldo grew up in the poor Rio de Janeiro suburb of Bento Ribeiro. He began playing football as a junior for the vicinity Social Ramos Club at old age 12 and two years former joined São Cristóvão in the Carioca League. By 1992 he was playing in the brazilian backing for Cruzeiro. He was a member of Brazil ’ s under-17 South American championship team in 1991 before joining the national english in 1994 .
International flags on soccer balls. Futbol football. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics soccer world cup
Britannica Quiz
Sports : fact or fiction ?
score ! This athletic assessment will challenge even the most sports-minded quiz takers. Try it — we ’ ra cheering you on !
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 by Inter Milan to play for the italian club in 1997, a record at the prison term. At Inter his excellent trickle skills and bent 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 quarrel. In 1999, however, he suffered a dangerous stifle wound that left him unable to play for about two years.

Dismissing concerns that his career was over, Ronaldo returned to competitive dally in 2001. At the 2002 World Cup he scored eight goals to earn the Golden Shoe prize as the tournament ’ s exceed scorer and helped Brazil win its fifth World Cup championship. He then announced that he was leaving Inter for Real Madrid of Spain. After much wrangle, Real agreed to pay a transfer tip of about $ 46.3 million. In 2002 Ronaldo was named both FIFA Player of the Year and European Footballer of the Year ( an award he besides had received in 1997 ). At the 2006 World Cup he scored three goals to bring his career total at the tournament to a record-setting 15 ( a scar that was broken in 2014 by Germany ’ s Miroslav Klose ) .2002 World Cup2002 World Cup Brazil ‘s Ronaldo ( chicken shirt ) maneuvering around opposing german players during the final match of the 2002 World Cup, held in Yokohama, Japan ; Brazil defeated Germany, 2–0 .Thomas Kienzle/AP While playing for the italian powerhouse AC Milan in 2008, Ronaldo ruptured a tendon in his leftover knee—the lapp character of wound that had occurred in his right knee in 1999—which some think would put his career in hazard. In December 2008 a fully recovered Ronaldo signed with the Corinthians in São Paulo. however, he continued to be plagued by a count of other, less meaning, leg injuries during his tenure with the Corinthians vitamin a well as by a thyroid gland condition that made him gain weight, and he abruptly retired from the fun in February 2011. In 2018 Ronaldo became the majority owner of the spanish clubhouse Real Valladolid.

Read more: David Prowse