You talk some damn sense since noticed that too long back.just incredible given how those four teams are competitive.i guess it was a case of "lets just all shut up,put aside our differences and enjoy him together because we might not seen anything like it ever again".guess what?the four teams were right,as for PSV,they must be the proudest!
@@akiyama5945Although Il Fenomeno is a "littlel" step above. It's waste of time compare Ronaldo with anybody. Pelé was better than him so there's no reason tô compare with Ronaldo. I prefer Ronaldo but in termo of talent the only who be compared is Maradona. The others are the others
@@kyy2 Messi is a genius, a legend, one of the best of all time but it's the best or the goat as someones call. He has not the opposite feet what creates limits for him for exemple. il Fenomeno certainly had more talent and was better than him. Maradona as well
My father has countless football shirts. All Germany. All adidas. All different players.He has only 2 Nike shirts. Both Brazil 1998. One blue. One yellow. Both Ronaldo Nr. 9. He said that he never saw a better player.
I still remember what he did to a young but amazing Alessandro Nesta (Inter v Lazio Italian super cup i think)..He tied that boy in so may knots he was still unraveling himself the next season.. Never saw anybody but R9 do that to a legendary CB like that..And that's just one instance..There are so many
I’ve realised the best players from any sport don’t think about being the best they just play to improve what they couldn’t do the day before let me make an example let’s say Ronaldhino,R9,Messi.Zidane,Maradona etc couldn’t do a simple around the world on a specific day the next day instead of saying to their self I need to learn this to be better than everyone else they rather say l want to learn this because it’s fun and I think that helps them learn it faster. They never put pressure on themselves with being the best better than the rest nah it’s have fun see what you can do and improve from there but this is Mindset is subconscious so they don’t realise.
In this year 1997 Ronaldo was better than Messi and cristiano ronaldo together.. I believe that Ronaldo is the best player i have ever seen in my whole life
@Slander Way77 1000 goals or trophies means nothing. Messi and CR have almost perfect careers with small problems/injuries. BUT compare them in their absolute prime...and they do not stand a chanse against him. No player does.
The dude was maybe 70% of his full potential after the injuries, but still dominated the game. It is sad we did not get to see what this guy would do in his prime injury free.
When people complain that modern football lacks the physical play from previous decades, I remember injuries that shortened or ended careers. I don't think Ronaldo's injuries had anything to do with bad tackles, it was just his own body...but there have been players whose careers were cut short by taking too many rough tackles. Yes, it's true that play was more physical in the 'old days'. That's true for modern football, but also in modern basketball, modern American football, Ice Hockey, etc. Protecting player longevity is more important than allowing rough play, and worth the tradeoff for the beautiful games that fans love.
In '96-97, Ronaldo turned 20 years old. In 49 matches for Barça, he scored 47 goals, in a team with other players behind him that liked to score - Luis Enrique, Figo, and Giovanni. In 24 appearances for Brasil, he scored 24 goals (including 1 penalty), and if you watch any of those internationals, you'll see that despite still selecting Romario and Bebeto, Dunga and Leonardo were more than happy to lunge the ball towards Ronaldo every chance they got. How dominant was Cristiano in 2005, and Messi in 2007? There's no comparison at that age. Ronaldo, at 20 years old, was playing the best football anyone had seen since Maradona in '85-87
Young Ronaldo, from 1995 to 1999, is arguably the best footballer ever. It is not really debatable. The best player i have ever seen with my own eyes, by far.
@@09thespecialonealso he had the greatest comeback of all time in the 2002 WC. It's the first time I saw him playing against Germany. He wasn't as impressive as he was I'm the 90s, but this guy was something special even as after only being able to play at 60 percent of his potential
R9 had a knack for languages. His English is very good for someone who didn’t play In England. He also only played for a short time in NL and actually spoke decent dutch..
I'm a huge Messi fan but even I've to admit that Nazario in his prime, nobody comes close to him. No Messi no Ronaldo no Zidane no Pele no Maradona. Simply sensational.
My friend Ronaldo was typical 9 ,as a striker I do think he is the best striker ever ,but u can’t compare Zizu or Maradona ,those players were attack midfielders ,I’m grown up watching them both ,and I admire both players ,the best duo ever Ronaldo zizu,and don’t forget zidane destroyed the Brazil 2006 ,they are goats both
@@illyrianhylli192 sim. Jogadores de posições diferentes. Mas em se tratando de talento nato, incomum, raro/raríssimo/sobrenatural, daquele que faz o que ninguém mais faz, que faz o difícil parecer fácil. Aquele que é melhor, bem melhor, que o gênio. Que ocupa um lugar acima de todos os outros. Um deus ou semi-deus da bola. Isso independe de posição
@@user-xi7es6bc7f Lionel is a genius, is huge but the prime Ronaldo wich started at 16 yo and reached the peak between 96-98 is out of this world. But...what can i do...
Aside from his phenomenal football skills, Ronaldo's English is pretty damn good. You dont see too many Brazilians speak such fluent English especially considering he never played in England.
I have the same age of Ronaldo and I damage my both of my knee in accident. The right knee at 21 and the left knee at 27 , doctors said I will never run again. Thanks to Ronaldo I had the strength to get back on my feet and run again he was an inspiration. For me the greatest athletic I ever seen with the biggest strength and hearth. Thanks Ronaldo
This guy made people fall in love with football. I have never seen a player so loved like Ronaldo da Lima. He brought Joy to people through his talent. The best I have ever seen.
💯 % He was the absolute complete striker. Almost un fair his level. Stronger than most, faster than most, more accurate than most, softer touch than most, more agile than most and could hit it with either foot and lethal in the air! Fukin ridiculously talanted
You couldnt stop him, you hat to foul him, and when he came at full speed against you, he was like an unstoppable train dribbling towards you at full speed.. you better left the room or turned the tv off and took a toilet break and when returned you had hoped the score didnt change..@@leighfletcher7675
The thing about being the GOAT is that it is not about stats, or records, or numbers. It's about magic. And every game this legend played you always felt something magical was about to happen and it usually did. Also RIP Sir Bobby Robson - the best manager England has ever produced.
Finally! Someone speaks sense. I’ve been saying this exact same thing for years, shouting at the telly and radio when you get pundits like Lineker, Neville & Brazil banging on about CR and Messi. Yes, they have the stats. You can’t argue with that. However. Surely, if you’re talking about the greatest footballer, it must be about his skillset. How good is he on the ball? What separates him from all the other great players. What can he do with a football at his feet. R9, was called The Phenomenon for a reason. If, you do your due diligence you’ll find as well as Guardiola, Mourinho, Robson; Maldini, Zidane, Ibrahimovic, Henry, Desailly, Cafu even Messi himself, waxing lyrical about the ability of Brazil’s Ronaldo. The guy was simply on a different level. Besides, before he was cut down by such cruel and devastating injuries (injuries that doctors said were the worst footballer’s injuries they had ever seen), his stats at PSV Eindhoven 1994-1996 (54 goals in 58 games) & his stats at Barcelona 1996-1997 (47 goals in 49 games) more than compare with CR and Messi and indicate he would have likely been on the same trajectory and matched, if not surpassed their numbers anyway. Further, he won the Golden Boot and World Cup in 2002 with a completely reconstructed knee. Which just beggars belief. Ronaldinho, is also rarely mentioned. He was also ridiculous but preferred partying and drinking. But, whether because of injury or how someone applies himself, this shouldn’t detract from an individual’s brilliance in possession of a football. There were two Ronaldos: the one that returned after long-term injury in 2002 was a great goalscorer, but the 1990s version was a great everything. At his fearsome peak for PSV, Barcelona and Inter Milan he was arguably the most dangerous striker the world has ever seen." -Rob Smyth, The Guardian.[23] The knee injuries suffered at Inter Milan took away the explosiveness that made him possibly the greatest young footballer of all time, a futuristic fusion of speed, strength and skill. That is not to belittle Ronaldo's achievements in the second half of his career, when he scored eight goals in a single World Cup [in 2002] and became the first Ronaldo to receive a standing ovation at Old Trafford [in 2003], but it is the memory of the early years that puts mist in the eyes of grown men." -Rob Smyth, The Guardian The way he combined powerhouse athleticism with a poetic touch made for an awesome sight. In the 1990s, in his physical pomp, in his free-flowing prime, there was nothing remotely like him. By the time the 1998 World Cup came along his reputation had extended to the point of fully formed marvel. A happening." -Amy Lawrence, The Guardian
Well said . I fell in love with the sport because of this guy . Don’t get me wrong Messi is great and still considered the best of this time but when I see Ronaldo is just magical , Messi doesn’t do it for me like Ronaldo did maybe it is just my opinion and pekoe would haste me for that
@@VoiceOfThe I agree with you, but even without considering the stats I think that 2011-2012 Messi is the only one together with R9 who could make you that he was on other level with the ball at his feet, Imo they are the best players ever, everyone else is behind
As an Englishman, I've never been into titles, knighthoods, etc, but there is something strangely comforting about Bobby Robson being referred to as 'Sir Bobby'.
There is no doubt about it. R9, up until his injury, was the greatest football talent ever seen on earth. From 96-99 he was just ridiculous. He was 20-23 years old and averaging almost a goal per game. And his highlight reels... oh my god, you won't be able to find so many skills in such a short time for any player. I remember the hype about him when I was younger. Back than it was more difficult to watch every game on tv/online. You would wait the whole week for a match with Barca or Inter to see him. He had a mythical status. Will we ever see a player like him again? Sure, CR7 and Messi have had great careers but the are not the same type of player. They can't perform the ridiculous skill that R9 could perform. And let's face it, Ronaldinho in his prime doesn't even come close to R9 in his prime.
@@sevaraalimova4706 Both. As you can see in the videos of him his skill level was ridiculous. Not many come close. He was also averaging almost a goal per game so he was performing on an extremely high level as well. Unfortunately he did not last on the highest level as long as Cristiano and Messi.
I don't agree on the last part about Ronaldinho. He didn't have the power or speed of R9 but think about the dribbling, passing, free kicks, vision... In my mind he was the perfect number 10, just as Ronaldo was the perfect number 9. And I think Messi is somewhat a combination of the two.
Really touches the heart how they talk about Sir Bobby, as a Geordie lad from what he done at Ipswich to then manage PSV, 2 Portuguese giants, Barcelona then to come home and become a legend at Newcastle it’s such an inspirational story that we’ll never see in today’s game! RIP Sir Bobby Robson
@@burlhorse61 and England of course, it came down to penalties against the Germans and every single one of their penalties were right in the corner and had we of won that game I think we would have beaten Argentina in the final
Sir Bobby Robson was so good ; He managed to coax the greatest season out of R9, Inspired Pep Guardiola to become a manager(arguably the best football manager around) and he tutored the special one (another great football manager). AND he did it all in one season at the Camp Nou. Rest well great one....football owes u quite a bit....
It’s frightening and amazing that the entire football world can admit and acknowledge this man would have broken every record and probably hold more records if it wasn’t for injuries
@@amjidali588 it's not how you start mate it's how you finish. Messi scored 91 goals in a year dude. R9 never had the discipline of cr7, Brazilians like to party and have fun and that's the opposite and that's why Cristiano is still very good now.
Guy was so good people called him the freakin phenomenon. The jack of all trades, yet master of all. Such a privilege to see him and legends of the 90's and 00's in my lifetime.
I am a Juve fan. I have seen Platini, Del Piero, Zidane, Nedved, Cr7. We can compare Messi with Ronaldo, we can mention Maradona and Pele, but honestly Ronaldo has been the toughest player, the fastest , the perfect rivals. He was competing with defender such Cannavaro, Thuram, Nesta, Maldini, Vierkowood...... For me Ronaldo will be the goat.
You are right. R9 is the GOAT. Even CR7, Messi, Pelé and Maradona would face tremendous difficulties with defenders of R9 era. And These 4 players would have been just normal players.
If you're born in 90's and you love football ... it's probably because of this guy. Without injuries, best football player who have ever lived. This way.... one of the best !
R9 was the most gifted footballer i have ever seen. His speed,skill, physicality, two footed..he was the most complete footballer the world has ever seen
@@23aceballer it doesn't change the fact that no player ever scored 8 goals within a world cup. I. Wonder ehem last your close won a single world cup, a very stupid comment
He was insanely good. He basically won the World Cup and golden boot in 2002 with a completely new knee! Doctors and surgeons said it was the worst football injury they’d ever seen.
All time great. Full package. Speed, skills, goals. Naturally gifted. There will never be another one. Love him or hate him. He was above all human beings.
Most impressive to me is that he could come back twice, 2 times, after tearing the biggest tendon in the body; and thereafter he even almost singlehandedly became World Champion - to me he's the greatest player since the 1990s; not Messi, or Zidane; or Cristiano!
Messi and CR7 have had the best careers pf maybe any footballer. And they have to thank R9’s health problems for that. The seizure (which I still believe was because he was poisoned) before the 1998 final and those injuries that kept him out for 3 years and robbed him of his speed and explosiveness... those were the reason that the goat debate is still a thing. Without those R9 would have 3 world cups and he would have been the undisputed goat. What a loss for the football world!
@@Jearbearjenkins That's speculation with too many unknown factors - what og Pelé had not been brutally slaughtered by opposing teams' players in the 2 World Cups in the 1960s, then he would have played better than even and won 4 World Cups; and 5 World Cups if he had played till 1974, for sure; the best player of all time would've been Even better, which is isn't even hard to imagine!
Back then when players used to play for their legacy. Football in the 90's was something else. Fans could identify themselves with the players on the pitch. If I see this Barca squad with Ronaldo, Pep, Stoichkov and Figo I truely get chills. And I am not even a Barca Fan.
I remember in the US kids wore Ronaldo's Jersey back then. Till this day I havent seen anyone wear anything football/related since then. That's beyond sport
During his debut 1996-97 season with Barca, he scored a total of 47 goals from 49 appearances from all forms, and 34 goals from 37 league appearances. Those are incredible stats, especially for era when defending was more dirty. Stick him in a Barca shirt right now and he would score more. One of the most complete strikers in history.
Ronaldo's years in Barcelona were simply majestic. We watched the games in awe. He could do anything. It was a pity he had the injury soon after and he never was the same again. He still was the best in the world, but he wasn't that unstoppable force of nature.
I fell inlove in football because of Ronaldo The Phenomenon. He was out of this world, even the awful knee injuries couldn't stop him to achieve greatness.
He might of managed and supported Newcastle but not a Geordie, he was from Durham, he was born in sacriston then lived in Langley park then high urpeth.
@@gaza19661310 I know exactly where he was born, like I said, a gentleman and a Geordie. My family come from the same part of Durham for over 200yrs, all Geordies. Your definition of what might constitute being a Geordie will be by no means the definitive one, take a look back in history and you might realise back in the day the Durham miners used the same 'Geordie' mining lamp designed by George Stephenson as those in the far north of Northumberland, again all Geordies.
R9 is one of a kind. His dribbling/legs, literally like a pair of chopsticks mucking around with a fishball. Truly one of a kind... the strength, the balance. No player ever since like R9.
For those that didn't get to see him play, run absolute riot against teams and defenders, in an era that was rough as hell and seeing what he did with the football, I can understand how they wouldn't rate him as high. But for those of us that saw him, there is only one Ronaldo and the best CF/striker ever to have played the beautiful game.
In his prime, Brazilian Ronaldo was ferocious and magical, a phenomenon, had to be seen to be believed. Never seen that level of ability or brilliance before or since.
This was when football was Real and raw, before all the crazy policies and technology and price inflation that has destroyed the beautiful round leather game. You could see the pure talents emotions and passion. Ronaldo was from the stars back then. 🌟
I’m a Benfica fan and Bobby Robson was the coach of the two other big Portuguese clubs, Sporting and Porto. When you salute your adversary the way we did Sir Robson, then you know you are talking about a great sportsman! P.S. I’ve seen a lot of fantastic players, nobody gave me the impression they were from another dimension on the pitch as Ronaldo, the best of the best!
@Joao Fernandes ROmario more skills than Maradona. I am Dutch and a PSV fan. love Romario also as a personality. But please do not compare him to Maradona. It is a lightyear difference.
@Joao Fernandes If you want to believe in the fairytale that ROmario was anywhere close to Maradona, keep on dreaming. No sense talking some sense into you.
I'm not even that much of a football fan. And I watched the 98 world cup just because I saw him play, and it blew my mind. I stayed home from school on the day of the 2002 world cup final just so I could hopefully watch him score and win the world cup! That's how much of an impact he had.
He was, is and will be the GOAT. I remember every time R9 and INTER MILAN had a match against any team, it was like getting ready to watch my favorite movie. Anticipating every touch of the ball. So exciting! The way he would receive the ball on the move and carve his way through defenses was magic and what a finish? Wow!.
There have been som incredible players through the years. Maradona, Pele, Ronaldinho, Zidane, Messi, CR7.... BUT If could only choose one player to be in a fantasy world. I would choose RONALDO. Just imagine to fly pass defenders...to score with both feet, low or high...to dribble with the ball stuck to feet...to be strong as a bull...to perform when it matters the most, even if its a WC final....
I'm a United fan and obviously love our Ronaldo but I've always thought the Brazilian Ronaldo was simply jaw dropping at times. Never seen anything like it before or since. The speed, the way defenders bounced off him, how he always tried to stay on his feet and, finally, his finishing. Never be another like this.
I feel sorry for the kids these days that never seen him. It was like watching prime Mike Tyson fight each game, they call it the X factor, he fuckin had it!
Tell me about it. Back then when Serie A was on Channel 4 (UK) Sunday mid morning 😀. Ronaldo was a beast, easily the greatest player of his generation, and there were some great players during that time (Zidane, Del Pierro, Baggio... I loooooved Roberto Baggio 😍. I don't care what anyone says, but he's in my top 3 favourite players of all time) . Aaaah....Mike Tyson!. I was talking to a younger friend a couple of weeks ago (while discussing the mediocrity of heavyweight boxing nowadays), I told him that he'll NEVER understand. Mike Tyson and his fights were a "cultural event". We used to go out in Central London on Saturday, stay out all night, anticipating the fight, then a huge group of us would stagger to someone's house (back then, not everyone had pay per view / Sky) in the early hours of the morning, to watch the fight. Then we all got weighed down by the weight of the world on our shoulders, as we grew old, jaded and cynical😥. Aaaah, those were the days!!
@@skaaya1 They were indeed the days my friend, I used to live a very similar life myself, boxing football Italia, just incredible time to be alive and young! 😂
Ronaldo was the most incredible player...a pure magician !We will never see another player like him..and I will never see a better match than Barcelona vs. Atletico 1997 cup match.
I had no idea how well spoken he is in English. He's been my favorite player since I was a kid. I have his jerseys, cleats and even got his haircut from 2002 when I was a kid. This guy changed futbol/soccer forever. R9 is top 3 all time for me! Really wish I'd have the opportunity to meet him one day! I would like to know what happened to push him out of FCB to Inter.
It is a long story. He himself was surprised to have left, because was even just in the verge of discussing things with management and I believe these are some if the reasons he don't talk about Barcelona much, despite his brilliant one season of football
@@flourishfallah4334 A deal had been agreed but when it came to signing it, the Barca President Nunez reneged on the on it, calling the deal crazy. Probably just as well because knowing Van Gaal, he'd have shunted Ronaldo out to the wing...
As a person who has watched Brazilian Ronaldo and Messi, Cristiano, I can say that there was something magical in Ronaldo Phenomeno which I haven't seen in Messi or Cristiano.
Messi, CR7 - very overestimated. They were nothing at WC. Very good players, but far below Pele,Cruyff, Maradona, Ronaldo9, Romario, Zidane, Ronaldinho.
LOl Ronaldinho only played 1 match good against England in 02.. then he never did anything for brazilian team.. who was heavily Rivaldo Dependent.. once Rivaldo was no longer around he never could link with Kaka, and the team was always a failure... lol Messi is 500times more succesful with Argentina than Ronaldinho was ever with Brazil..@@ocasap59
Ronaldo, the true Ronaldo. Everytime I watched Barcelona on TV with him playing, they would not lose a single match. I'd not miss a single game of Brazil NT, and I even wake up in the middle of night to watch them playing in WC 2002. That's how fantastic was Ronaldo, and this era. Now, it's been more than a decade that I haven't watched a match of Brazil NT.
Oh man every second of that vdo gives me goosebumps ...no doubt 👑R9 🇧🇷 is GOAT and he didn't chock under pressure in big matches like others Thanx for giving us so many memories and made me love Football....
@@Jearbearjenkins injuries? before injuries he didn't play in champions league because none of the teams qualified. But won Uefa cup with 2 of them. At real, there is a whole story and needs context. The whole team was in trouble as well as he got injured and was sidelined at later stages when was needed the most ;)
@@a.m.a4312 so he couldn’t perform when the pressure was on every time. Just like many others. Doesn’t matter what story you attach to it. There were moments where his teams were losing and he didn’t save them. He’s my favourite player but people like to make him out as someone who had no faults at all apart from the injuries. He was not always a clutch player. At times he slipped up too. Only human. But my favourite footballer hands down
@@serbe3416 You see, I was a avid football fan, and used to stay up late to watch all CL matches. First time I saw Ronaldo when he was put in as an substitute for PSV against some other team. Ronaldo picked up the ball at midway point and just slalomed through almost the whole team, he was about to score, when he was chopped down from behind, where he injured his shoulder and had to be substituted. I said to myself i should remember that name. Next season I saw him at Barca. From then on i watched only matches that he was likely to play in After he retired, I am sorry to say football has become uninteresting to me. Still regurlarly watch his clips.
for me Him and Zidane are the best ever to do it but to think he played in a era of such greats and unbelievable defenders also shows you what a player he was.
Ronaldo El Phenomenon.... I’ve watched the greatest Ronaldo ever. Glad to say that my national team knocking brazil out of the 1996 olympics with Ronaldo was the night I cried my first tears as a Nigerian for any football team.
R9 was the reason i got selected for my school when i was 9 years old! I channelled all his tricks which my friends still remember to this day! Thanks R9! & Bobbh Robson; what a gentleman kind of manager I would have loved to play under!
