In truth, we had said goodbye to the magic of Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima some time ago. The Brazil legend has been desperately short of both form and fitness, and a press conference confirming his immediate retirement from professional football several months ahead of schedule doesn't come as very much of a shock. Ronaldo's career reached dizzying heights during his spells with Europe's elite, but it was on the international stage in which he shone brightest, notching up a number of World Cup scoring records to go along with a 2002 winners' medal.
Ronaldo Announces Immediate Retirement
For the latter part of the 90s and the first few years of the 2000s, Ronaldo was the most feared predator in Europe, the man more likely to put away a chance than anyone else in football - and excellent at creating them too. In his single year with Barcelona, he notched 47 goals, and he totalled 219 goals between spells with the Catalan giants, rivals Real Madrid, and Inter and AC Milan. His longest spell was with Real, but he became a squad player after battling weight issues towards the end of his stay there.
Ronaldo was unfortunate enough to suffer from a series of knee injuries which could have ended his career almost before it began, but he always managed to come back from his setbacks. Although a knee problem marked the end of his career in Europe, he resurfaced with Brazilian outfit Corinthians for a few more years. Unfortunately, his injuries have caught up with him, and he’s now officially hanging up the boots at 34, news confirmed at an emotional press conference:
As you can imagine and you heard during the whole weekend, I’m here today to [confirm that] I’m closing my career as a professional player. I thanked all the players, the coach Tite, for all the minutes, for every second I was with them. It was a very beautiful career, wonderful and exciting. [There were] a lot of defeats and a lot of victories. I made a lot of friends, and I can’t recall any enemies. I’m ending my career due to some very important reasons.
Although it’s sad to see a great player retire - and Ronaldo was truly one of the greats - we should take the time to reflect on his astonishing accomplishments in the game:
- World Cup Winner, Brazil (1994, 2002)
- Copa America, Brazil (1997, 1999)Career World Cup Goalscoring Record (15)
- UEFA Cup Winners Cup, Barcelona (1997)Copa Del Rey, Barcelona (1997)
- La Liga Title, Real Madrid (2003, 2007)
- UEFA Cup, Inter Milan (1998)
- 62 goals in 97 full international appearances.
His goalscoring abilities were unmatched, and his intelligence in buildup play was also world class. When his formidable pace and power began to desert him as he approached 30, Ronaldo reinvented himself as a team player rather than a pure finisher. According to all reports, he wasn’t particularly interested in fame or money - he just wanted to be the best there ever was. If he didn’t achieve that... he came very, very close.
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