RONALDO
Ronaldo (Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima), 1976-, Brazilian soccer player. A son of Rio de Janeiro's back streets, he signed with his first professional club at 14. Nicknamed "The Phenomenon," the talented forward/striker played for Brazil's Cruzeiro (1993-94), the Netherlands' Eindhoven (1994-96), Barcelona (1996-97), Inter Milan (1997-2002), Real Madrid (2002-7), AC Milan (2007-8), and Brazil's Corinthians (2009-11), amassing numerous records, championships, and cups. An international superstar, he was part of Brazil's World Cup-winning teams in 1998 and in 2002, when he was the tournament's top scorer. His career was marked by severe knee injuries (1999, 2000) and striking comebacks; he was twice named European footballer of the year (1997, 2002) and thrice world player of the year (1996-97, 2002).
