When it comes to the most dangerous player in football or the best striker that amazed spectators all around the world, most people will think about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, or even Robert Lewandowski after he famously scored 5 goals in 9 minutes making his team Bayern Munich get a 5-1 victory after a one goal difference against Wolfsburg in 2015.
Who is the most dangerous player in football? Those who have been around for long and enjoyed football since the 90’s will absolutely believe that Ronaldo Nazario De Lima – the Brazilian legend – is the most dangerous attacker in the history of football.
Ronaldo struck fear into any team he played against, we go through this article looking at how he did this and also looking at his football career. Particularly at Barcelona where he was brought in by Bobby Robson and an assistant manager called Jose Mourhino.
How did Ronaldo build his way up in the ladder of legendary football strikers?
Born in Brazil on the 22nd of September 1976, this player started his professional career playing for Cruzeiro in the season of 1993-1994. After being discovered by football scouts, Ronaldo was transferred to PSV in 1994 and did a phenomenal performance in the 2 seasons played there with 42 goals in 46 appearances.
After his stunning achievements with PSV, word started going around Europe about this Latin American legend compared to Diego Maradona and Pelé. In 1996, Ronaldo moved to FC Barcelona for a then world record transfer fee and, shortly after, was named the FIFA world player of the year – the youngest recipient of the award at that age.
Ronaldo was well known for his killer goals and outstanding finishes, he never missed a chance and whenever he found himself in front of the goalkeeper, it always ends up with the ball in the net.
De Lima was also one of the few players who experienced the joy of Serie A when he played for Inter Milan from 1997 until 2002 and was often injured but kept the score counter running. He was awarded the 1997 Ballon d’Or acknowledging his efforts as best in the history of Football. After Inter Milan, Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid in 2002 and scored 83 goals in 5 seasons and 127 appearances.
Five seasons later, Ronaldo came back to Serie A this time with AC Milan in 2007 and spent a short season where he only scored 9 goals, at that time, Ronaldo was considered as a falling hero and he could not give the same style of play he used to. This was due to injuries, his behaviour outside the field and his overweight.
In 2009, Ronaldo went to Corinthians to play in his home country’s Serie A after a stunning career of 15 years in Europe, and then retired shortly after and became a professional in the business of football.
What made Ronaldo the most dangerous player in football?
Back in the day, Ronaldo was viewed as the best classic 9 to ever exist. He played as a front centre and had some abilities that gave him the name of the feared striker in the field. Ronaldo’s speed with the ball was never seen. He also scored the fastest goal in Real Madrid’s history only 15 seconds after the kick off against Atletico Madrid on the 3rd of December 2003.
His coach at Barcelona, Bobby Robson, commented: “Ronaldo could start from the halfway line and the whole stadium would ignite. He was the fastest thing I’ve ever seen running with the ball. Had he managed to stay free of injury, he had every chance of becoming the best footballer ever.”
He also was the most appreciated dribbler in the game. Although he was an invincible striker and an individual player, he provided some assists to his teammates that often helped win the game.
What are Ronaldo’s top achievements in Football?
During his rise, Ronaldo was the most famous sportsperson in the world. He changed the concept of the game with his style and abilities and had a well-deserved Nike Mercurial R9 that was designed for him for the 1998 FIFA world cup.
In addition to the World record transfer fee that was beaten twice by Ronaldo in 1996 and 1997, the so called El Fenomeno was rewarded the Ballon d’Or twice in 1997 and 2002.
Ronaldo won the FIFA World Cup for Brazil in 2002 where he scored two stunning goals against the national team of Germany and ended up man of the match and also man of the tournament.
Ronaldo was named in the list of FIFA of the greatest living players in 2004 and he has a statue made in bronze located next to Ronaldo field in Oregon which was unveiled in 2000.
Furthermore, Ronaldo was named in the Ballon d’Or dream team which included the greatest players of ALL-TIMES and is included in the Brazilian Football Museum Hall of Fame, the Italian Football Hall of Fame, the Inter Milan Hall of Fame and Real Madrid Hall of Fame.
Ronaldo and the national team of Brazil
Ronaldo was the youngest player of the Brazilian squad of 1994 where he was only 17. In 1998 World cup, he finished the tournament as the best player and was renumerated the Golden ball.
In the early 2000’s, the Brazil national team was full of Ace players like Rivaldo, Ronaldinho all beside Ronaldo. He scored 62 goals for the national team in 98 matches.
Ronaldo’s bad luck
Ronaldo was always believed to be better in the game but the injuries that tackled his career starting from the knee injury that put him away for a while in Inter Milan in 1999-2000 and again in Real Madrid in 2003 stopped him from beating many other records.
He also suffered an injury in 2011 with Corinthians which ended his career. That injury made him go away from the fields and then come back as a business professional after a few months.
Ronaldo started his career in Brazil as a small kid playing football for fun and then made it to hall of fame of infamous sport clubs and football museums around the world. He won many titles in his career and was one of the rarest football players to win the Ballon d’Or in two different teams.
It is true that Ronaldo doesn’t compare to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi since he played as a classical 9, but this player was the most dangerous striker in the history of football.