Behind the Times: Ronaldo crocked!!!
Posted by gwil on February 14, 2008
“You can’t understand the noise Ronaldo’s knee made”, Marco Amelia, Livorno Goalkeeper
For my generation we first embraced football in ‘96, whipped into a frenzy by Baddiel and Skinner, Gascoigne and the gang. However, it was only in 1998 that we truly began to appreciate the sport, after a fascinating World Cup in France. And much of that was to do with Ronaldo Luis Nazario da Lima. Zinedine Zidane may have left Paris with the Jules Rimet trophy and his face projected on the Arc de Triomph, but we all knew that the tournament was Ronaldo’s. Even in defeat he stole the headlines, suffering a fit on the day of the final and encouraging outrageous conspiracy theories on the then nascent world wide web. But, before that ignominy, watching Ronaldo was a stunning spectacle. The Brazilian was an unstoppable force, a figure of speed, technique, momentum and precision who seemed to be reinventing football every time he played.
In November 1999 Ronaldo suffered a catastrophic knee injury, and for the next 3 years he played little or no football. When the Brazilian returned to the grand stage in 2002 World Cup he was once again a captivating presence, and this time the outcome was more favourable. Ronaldo fired Brazil to victory (see videos below) and was rewarded with the World Player of the Year Award, his reputation restored.
Yesterday’s news that Ronaldo has suffered an identical injury to the one in 1999 seems to have shocked and saddened a great number of people, primarily because they remember the arduous period of recovery that the Brazilian went through between ‘99 and 2002 and can’t envisage the phenomenon successfully undertaking such a journey again at the age of 31. The picture of Ronaldo cradling his right knee, his face a mask of utter anguish, is one that should sadden anyone who has taken any interest in football over the past 10 years or so. Despite optimistic words from Milan owner and professional idiot Silvio Berlusconi, one fears that we may have seen the last of Ronaldo.
Ronaldo: Best Bits
Barcelona vs Compostela: Ronaldo slaloms through half the Compostela team before scoring.
Nike Airport Advert: Brazilians run amok in the departures lounge and the world becomes familiar with the buck-toothed Brazilian.
2002 World Cup Final- Germany 0-2 Brazil : Ronaldo, sporting a truly atrocious haircut, scores both goals to win the World Cup.
Champions League Quarter Final- Manchester United 4-3 Real Madrid: Real lead 3-1 from the first leg. United win the match, but a brilliant hat-trick from Ronaldo ensures that Real progress to the semi-finals.
Ronaldo Breaks World Cup Record: With a deft shake of the hips and couple of step-overs, Ronaldo rounds the Ghanaian goalkeeper and scores his 15th goal in World Cup history, breaking Gerd Muller’s record in the process.
Any Other Business:
-Hilariously bad article in today’s Times, which predicts what football will be like in ten years. We’ll all be wearing silver and there will be a robot in every home….
-King Kev’s return to the north-east hasn’t been as glorious as he might have hoped thus far. How he could do with this character…
-Lunatic website of the day: www.rightresult.net. “How the Premier League table would look if refs got all the key decisions right.”
