He is the eternal symbol of football! He is the "phenomenon" that subverts the football world with his knees. Ronaldo

Recently, Goal has launched a series of articles to pay tribute to the great stars that have emerged in the long history of football for more than 150 years. Ronaldo, a symbol of redemption and tenacity, is the beginning of this series.

Ronaldo's career is unique and legendary. All fans – even those less enthusiastic – have exclusive memories of this “Phenomeno”. It could be a shocking goal in the Europa League final against Lazio, a wonderful moment of five players in a row against Compostela, or a classic moment of holding up the World Cup championship trophy with a non-traditional hairstyle. Of course, it also includes the pain of his knee ligament tearing on the Olympics, and the return gangway photo that shamed the Samba Legion after the 1998 World Cup. These five images are enough to outline Ronaldo's epic, memorable and iconic career picture.

Perhaps, Ronaldo has long surpassed his identity as a great star and has become a symbol of football culture. While football is undergoing comprehensive changes in technology, competition and business, the teenager from the dusty neighborhood of Bentoribello is always on the top of the wave of the times.

If...

The story about Ronaldo is indeed too many narrators, and it is a difficult challenge to write something new. But there is a topic that never comes to a conclusion: without the injuries that restrict his career, will the image of Ronaldo in collective memory remain the same?

Some people believe that it is this kind of imagination space of "what would happen if..." that has created his immortal legendary image. To a certain extent, this thinking strengthens the player's myth - after all, in the midst of many difficulties, he can still engrave his mark like a rare person in the history of sports.

When AC Milan competed with Barcelona to chase, Ronaldo's decision to join Eindhoven demonstrated the vision of his team. The two seasons spent in Eredivisie allowed him to adapt to European football in a relatively relaxed environment - avoiding the cruel competition between Serie A and La Liga in the late 1990s, and without having to bear the demands of giant fans for immediate success.

As he recalled many times, adapting to Dutch life was not easy, but he proved his value by crushing weaker opponents on the court, helping him resist the invasion of homesickness.

Although he suffered a knee injury in Eindhoven's second (and last season) half of the quit, this experience paved the way for him to achieve a qualitative leap. At this time he was ready to face the challenge of Barcelona - his performance even surpassed everyone's expectations.

For the witnesses, Ronaldo's years in Catalonia are destined to be unforgettable: he scored 34 goals in 37 league games, and scored a terrifying 47 goals in 49 games in various competitions.

He has dedicated his eye-catching performances, alien acceleration, numb goals, and a unique skill to score by passing the goalkeeper. The subsequent Golden Globe Awards were well deserved.

Blue and Black Years

Despite the harvest of the golden ball, the Inter Milan period is Ronaldo's most dramatic life chapter.

The story begins with a mysterious illness that several hours before the 1998 World Cup final, and continues with a serious knee injury that completely changed its upward trajectory between 1999 and 2000. It eventually fell on the bench of the Olympic Stadium in Rome, and shed tears on the spot as the league champions last moment.

But just as defensive players cannot completely lock the "phenomenon", fate cannot completely knock it down. Ronaldo was reborn from the ashes and completed his redemption by winning the 2002 World Cup and the second Golden Globe Award.

This should have been the glory that should have been continued four years ago - if Zidane had not been in Paris that night, in front of the helpless Ronaldo, his name would be eternally engraved into the history of football. Global media used "different" to describe the Brazilian superstar that night.

It was not until the truth surfaced that people understood that the figure on the French Stadium was nothing more than a ghostly illusion. If the finals are held 24 hours in advance, history may be completely rewritten. Because there is no need to say anything, Ronaldo is one of the few players who can turn the world around on his own - he perfectly combines artistic beauty with practical efficiency, and always focuses on the ultimate goal while dedicating his visual feast.

This killer, who has both ornamentality and fatal efficiency, shocked the football world with his mythical speed at the time. Even though the legendary pace in the later stages of his career slowed down, he still chose to return to his hometown and used key goals to help Corinthian create a historic double championship and continue to write an immortal legend.

Redification and Rebirth

Tenire, determination, ability to rebirth in adversity, and courage to never give up - Ronaldo provides an excellent example for defining these four qualities of a great athlete.

His career is indeed an epic of redemption: a slum boy who walked out of a classic inspirational script has finally reached the top of glory after a lot of hardships; in the brilliant night of Paris in 2002, only five years before the first golden ball, he returned to the public eye with a new story and once again won the most coveted personal honor of the sport. Recovering from a devastating knee injury is a huge challenge for anyone, but Ronaldo refuses to surrender and sticks to his belief in seemingly desperate situations. When FIFA expanded the 2002 World Cup roster to 23 players (seemingly set for Brazil to call Ronaldo and Italy to recruit Baggio), unlike Trapatoni's conservatism, Scolari gave the forward superstar the opportunity to prove himself. So we witnessed that Ronaldo, with his signature smile and unique hairstyle, led Brazil to the top of the world with his own strength in 1986 Maradona.

Off-field totem

Ronaldo's off-field influence is as dazzling as his green achievements. His classic cooperation with brands such as Nike and Pirelli has made his popularity break through the football circle and become an idol of the whole nation.

's decision to refuse to grant FIFA99 game copyright to EA is even more legendary. At that time, he exclusively granted the right to use his name to the game "Ronaldo V-Football", and until 2001, other works could only be called "No. 9". In the end, this number became a tacit code among fans because of the popularity of the game.

Of course, with the rise of another Portuguese superstar, modern fans distinguish the two legends by "Ronaldo No. 9". But those who have witnessed his peak performance always prefer to call him a "phenomenon" - because that is his most appropriate footnote: an eternal football miracle.

(Armour)