Ronaldo: King of the World

Biography

Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima was born on 22 September 1976 in a poor suburb of Rio de Janeiro. Like most of his childhood friends, Ronaldo began his soccer career playing barefoot in the streets of his neighborhood. At the age of 14, he joined SCristovo soccer club and only two years later became the star of Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte scoring a total of 58 goals in 60 matches and earning himself a reputation for his explosive pace and outstanding finishing skills. His goal-scoring record and unusual agility led him to be included in the Brazilian World Cup winning team the following year. After the World Cup, many top European football clubs were trying to sign him. Many people, including Brazilian football legend 　Pelé, 　referred to him as the most promising footballer of his generation.

Since his transfer to Dutch team PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldo s biography is one of success after success. Two Copa América s, a UEFA Cup, a Dutch Cup, a Spanish League Cup, and two awards as best player in the world, all in the space of two years, are some of Ronaldo s impressive achievements. On arrival to Inter-Milan in 1997, Ronaldo became the idol of the local fans who refer to him as “il Fenomeno.”

Since the 98 World Cup he has suffered two serious knee injuries that have severely limited his appearances. Just when people began to wonder whether Ronaldo would be able to continue with his football career, he proved to the world that he still could play. In the World Cup held in Korea and Japan, the magical striker won the Golden Shoe award and tied Pelé's Brazilian record for career World Cup goals with 12. He helped Brazil capture its fifth World Cup championship on June 30 with a 2-0 win over Germany. It was the third time that Ronaldo has ever played in the World Cup.

世界球王--罗纳尔多

罗纳尔多1976年9月22日出生在里约热内卢的贫困郊区。像多数童年的伙伴一样，他的足球生涯是从小区的街道上赤脚踢球开始的。14岁的时候，他加盟圣克里斯托旺足球俱乐部，仅仅两年后他就成长为克鲁塞罗俱乐部的明星，60场比赛进了58粒球，快捷有力的步伐和非凡的射门技巧令其名声大噪。第二年，他射门得分的纪录以及超凡的敏捷使他入选巴西国家队参加世界杯。世界杯结束后，许多欧洲顶级足球俱乐部都削尖脑袋想同他签约。许多人，包括巴西传奇人物贝利，都认为他是同代人中最有希望的足球运动员。

自从转会到荷兰的埃因霍温足球俱乐部后，罗纳尔多取得了一次又一次的成功：两次美洲杯冠军、一次欧洲足协联盟杯冠军、一次荷兰杯冠军、一次西班牙联赛冠军、两次获得世界最佳球员奖，所有这一切都是在短短两年内取得的。1997年，他一到国际米兰队，就成为当地球迷心中的偶像，被称为“奇才”。

自1998年世界杯以来，罗纳尔多经历了两次严重的膝伤，这极大地限制了他上场踢球的时间。正当人们怀疑他是否能继续踢球的时候，他向全世界证明他风采依旧。在韩日举行的世界杯上，这位神奇的前锋获得金靴奖，以12粒进球平了贝利创造的世界杯进球纪录。他帮助巴西队在6月30日的比赛中以2比0的比分战胜了德国队，从而第五次获得世界杯冠军。这也是罗纳尔多第三次参加世界杯。