Biography
Who is Ronaldo?
Early life and real name
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was born in Itaguaí, Brazil. He was the youngest of three siblings in the household of Sônia dos Santos Barata and Nélio Nazário de Lima Sr. During his youth in the Bento Ribeiro neighborhood near Rio de Janeiro, he often skipped his school classes to play football in the local streets. His formal introduction to the sport began with futsal at Valqueire Tenis Clube before he moved to Social Ramos at the age of twelve. In his first year there, he set a league record by scoring 166 goals.
Professional career and teams
The striker began his senior career at Cruzeiro, where he scored 44 goals in 47 appearances and won the 1993 Copa do Brasil. In 1994, he moved to Europe to play for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. He stayed there for two seasons, scoring 30 league goals in his debut year alone. His performance led to a world record transfer to FC Barcelona in 1996. During his single season in Spain, he scored 47 goals in 49 games and became the youngest player to ever win the FIFA World Player of the Year award at age twenty.
International success with Brazil
Ronaldo represented the Brazilian national team in 98 international matches and scored 62 goals. He was a member of the 1994 World Cup winning squad at age seventeen, though he did not see any playing time during that tournament. At the 1998 World Cup, he was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the competition after leading Brazil to the final. However, he suffered a medical fit just hours before the championship game against France, which Brazil ultimately lost.
Birthday and age
Ronaldo was born on September 22, 1976, which makes Ronaldo 50 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Ronaldo shares the date with 62 other famous people.
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