Calcio Legends: il fenomeno

In this quiet downtime if you will before the hectic schedule of Serie A and the Champions League begins again it is time to turn back the clock and look at arguably one of the greatest forwards of all time in Ronaldo. His adventure in Calcio began in 1997 when he signed for Inter Milan after a spell binding season with Barcelona in which he scored a staggering 47 goals in 49 games including a stunning goal against Compostela in which he ran more than fifty yards, rounded a number of defenders, displaying lightning pace, and finished with consummate ease. It was a great season for him and for Barca in which the Catalan side won the Uefa Cup Winners Cup and Copa Del Rey title.

Inter Years
This success was not enough to allow Barca to hold onto Ronaldo who moved to Milan to play for Inter as they tried to rise above rivals AC Milan and Juventus who had been trading titles since 1992 in Serie A. It didn't work, but Ronaldo was a huge hit. In his debut season he hit 25 goals in Serie A in just 32 games and lead Inter to the Uefa cup final against Lazio which they won 3-0 against the Roman club. This made up for the defeat in the final a year before to Schalke 04. Still, it did not bring the Scudetto that the club wanted as they ran out second in the 1997-1998 season to Juve, and in the seasons following simply could not surpass the displays made by Milan in 1999, Lazio in 2000 and Roma in 2001. This could hardly be attributed to Ronaldo though, as during his second season in Serie A he suffered an injury against Lecce which was exacerbated in the Coppa Italia final in 2000 against Lazio, which Inter lost. He looked down and out, but the world cup in 2002 proved to be his salvation where he lead Brazil to glory with eight goals in the tournament. This ended his days in Serie A, for the time being at least, as a move to Real Madrid beckoned.

Onto Real and back to Milan
The move rewarded him with his first La Liga title and he continued where he had left of in La Liga by scoring goals by the hatful. Indeed, one of his best moments was receiving a standing ovation at Old Trafford after a sparkling performance for Real Madrid. Yet, injuries again plagued the great man and in 2007 he left for AC Milan and created a piece of history by becoming the only man to ever score for both Inter and Milan in the derby. The season he joined Milan the Italian club won the Champions League, but Ronaldo was not eligible for the award as he was cup tied. It remains the only omission on his playing CV.

Corinthians
Back in Brazil in where Ronaldo now plys his trade, and still to great effect which has allowed the rumour mill to debate over whether he will regain a level of form that will allow him to return to the Brazil squad for the 2010 world cup. Time will tell on that one, but it will have more to do with fitness issues than anything else as the ability to turn a game still remains.

Image credited to Ricardo Stuckert