Ronaldo - O Fenomeno

There can be little doubt Ronaldo had the potential to be one of the greatest players of all time in 1998 when things first began to go wrong for the striker. At the peak of his powers and starring at the World Cup at the tender age of 20, on the day of the final against hosts France he suffered an inexplicable fit on the day of the game.

He was somewhat pressured into playing the final and clearly looked at least ill if not injured, and his career from then on has been plagued with injuries, and despite a whole host of honours, records and an incredible rate of scoring he has never become the player many expected or had hoped.

His latest setback has come at a terrible time, as Milan, already short on options up front, were relying on El Fenomeno but his injury-plagued time with the European champions hit an all-time low when, having been on the pitch barely two minutes as a substitute, he went down in a world of pain in the penalty area.

He had ruptured a tendon, an injury he had suffered previously in his other knee and at Milan’s other club, Inter, in 2000. This time, recovery looks near-impossible, but the success of the surgery on Thursday has led many to call for the Brazilian to fight back to his best, including the country’s President.

Lula has stated that “millions of Brazilians” were crushed by their national hero’s injury, he himself being a self-confessed sports fanatic.

“Young man, keep moving forward, be strong, don’t give up,” Lula said in an open letter to Ronaldo. “I have faith, just as the Brazilian people do, that you will return to the playing field and once again you’ll be an example of perseverance and courage.”

Milan have vowed to stand by the player throughout his recovery, though Brazilian side Sao Paulo have also offered to help rehabilitate the player, and many have speculated that if he is to continue playing it could well be in the Major Soccer League or indeed back in Brazil on a more casual level.

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 16th, 2008 at 6:56 am and is filed under AC Milan, Personal.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.