World Cup Stories: Ronaldo's Talent & The Question What If?

Sometimes we need reminding. So look at this. He's in his prime. Such pace. Such mobility. Such charisma. The power of Ronaldo was something to behold. That was just one goal at Barcelona, in one glorious season in the mid-1990s, ahead of the first of his three World Player of the Year awards and his dramatic, theatric, incredible performances at three World Cups. On football's greatest stage, Ronaldo was at his finest. And that's, after all, the true measure of a career, producing for your nation when it counts most. Had the injuries which slowed him down in the second half of his career not been so debilitating, he might just have been the greatest of all time. O Fenomeno. The Phenomenon. Ronaldo is Brazil's third top scorer. His 62 in 98 caps, behind only Pelé and Neymar. But at the World Cup, Ronaldo scored 15 in three tournaments, to Pelé's 12 in four and Neymar's eight in three. But those statistics tell barely a fraction of the story. Ronaldo was named in Brazil's squad at the age of 17 for the 1994 World Cup, but only for the experience. He didn't play a game, but by the time of the 1998 World Cup, he was at Inter Milan and the best player in the world. I am very much motivated, and I feel more motivated after what I have received. But I still have many titles left to conquer. And my dream is, of course, to play in the World Cup in France and win the title for Brazil. When the 22-year-old Ronaldo hit Paris in 1998, he held the game's two highest individual honours, the 1997 Ballon d'Or and FIFA Player of the Year. There was no question he was the biggest name on football's greatest stage. And when he scored four goals in Brazil's march to the final, including two in the round of 16 against Chile, and his team's lone goal in the semi-final against Netherlands, he'd already done enough to win the tournament's golden ball for best player. But what happened just after lunch on the day of the final against France would become one of World Cup history's most controversial and mysterious events. Ronaldo suffered a convulsive fit. Ronaldo was foaming at the mouth, struggling, breathing with a lot of difficulty and very pale, according to teammate Gonçalves. The young champion's roommate, Roberto Carlos, screamed for help. And the man credited with saving his life was defender Sampaio. Edmundo held down the star player, while Sampaio, seen here heading balls with the champion, prevented him from swallowing his tongue. The world was stunned when he was left off the team sheet before being reinstated at the last minute. Many believe, under sponsors' instructions, he shouldn't have played. A drawn, reserved, shadow of himself, the French ran all over him and his team, winning 3-0. I wanted to play at all costs and asked if he couldn't just do the tests before the game. So I went to the clinic just before the match. I don't think that the outcome of the match had anything to do with what happened. I went on to the pitch wanting to win and play well. But unfortunately, it didn't happen. Fast forward to 2002, and at just 25, they said he was washed up. He'd barely played since rupturing a tendon in his knee with Inter in 1999. Setback after setback meant he missed Brazil's entire qualifying campaign. But he didn't miss the World Cup. He scored eight goals, including two in the final, matching Pelé's total 12, and taking him to his third World Player of the Year trophy and his second Ballon d'Or. By 2006, he really was past his best. On wobbly knees and unable to put enough miles in his legs to physically get down to appropriate fitness, he could produce only cameo football. Enough to score three more times to break German Gerd Müller's World Cup record, but not enough to take his Brazil team past the quarterfinals. Even then, he tried to keep playing the game he loved, even though he knew, like everyone else, the glory days were gone. And the Brazilian fans and all lovers of football still cheered wherever he went. The media fun poked at his fitness, or fatness could never ruin the affection the Brazil people had for their champion. Pelé will always be Brazil's greatest World Cup hero. But there's a fair question to be asked about Ronaldo and his knees. What if?