Brazilian footballing great Ronaldo has decided to retire from the game at the age of 34. The former-Brazil international has recently been plying his trade in his homeland with Corinthians.
However before returning to Brazil he had represented some of the biggest clubs in world football.
Body
Ronaldo decided to move back to Brazil to try and resurrect his career after a series of injuries while playing in Italy with AC Milan.
He now feels that his body isn’t up to playing anymore. He told Estado De Sao Paulo: “I can’t take any more,”
“I wanted to continue, but I can’t do it anymore. I think of an action, but I can’t do it the way I want to. It’s time. It’s the body that’s hurting me. The head wants to go on, but the body can’t take any more.”
It’s a shame that he has had to retire but his body has been struggling with the effects of football for a long time, even before he moved to Brazil. In fact he has had trouble with his fitness throughout his career.
Star
Ronaldo is without doubt one of the best footballers I have ever seen play. He had all the attributes of a football great. If it wasn’t for weight problems and injuries he could have been one of the best players of all time. Even as it is Ronaldo would definitely be in my top ten players ever.
Honours
During his international career with Brazil Ronaldo inspired his country to two World Cup victories and won World Player of the Year three times. He was also in Brazil’s 1994 World Cup winning squad as a 17 year-old but didn’t make an appearance in the USA.
He also won numerous trophies in his domestic career at Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven, Inter and Real Madrid. His career has definitely been a glittering one.
Goals
He started his career as a teenager at Cruzeiro but it didn’t take long for him to be noticed by top European teams. He made a move to Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven and scored an incredible 42 goals in just 46 appearances.
Those goals were enough to persuade Spanish giants Barcelona to snap him up. His form at Barca was once again prolific as he scored 34 goals in 37 appearances. Many say his spell at Barcelona was probably Ronaldo at his best.
After problems with contract negotiations at Barca he decided to leave and Italy giants Inter were his next destination. He spent five years at the Giuseppe Meazza and scored 59 goals, despite injury troubles.
His next move was a mega move of £35million to Spanish side Real Madrid. Despite being injured on his arrival he got a hero’s welcome and broke records for the number of shirts sold with his name on the back.
In his time at Real he managed to score 83 goals but after suffering injuries and a fall out with boss Fabio Capello was sold to AC Milan for less than £5million.
Ronaldo spent just two seasons with the Rossoneri but scored nine goals in 20 appearances. It was clear to everybody who witnessed his performances that his career was on the wane. He received yet more injuries in his time at AC and his contract wasn’t renewed when it expired.
It looked likely that he would retire but after months out of the game returned home to sign for Brazilian side Corinthians. He hoped to finish his career with a Copa Libertadores win but his side were eliminated in February and the players came under threat from their own fans. This failure seemed to be the last straw for the veteran front man.
Injuries
I believe injuries prevented Ronaldo becoming the best footballer ever. If it wasn’t for injuries he could have achieved far more than he did. He has suffered some of the worst injuries you can as a footballer and for him to play so long is a credit to his appetite and love of the game.
Hero
Ronaldo will forever be a hero in Brazil. He is also one of the few players to be revered and loved by both Barcelona and Real Madrid fans. That is some achievement by any player but Ronaldo wasn’t just any player he was a truly special player and I feel privileged to have seen him perform at his peak.
Where would Ronaldo rank in the list of all-time greats?
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