Brazil icon and World Cup winner Ronaldo announced on Monday he is bringing down the curtain on one of the most prestigious careers the world of football has seen in recent years.
The 34-year-old striker had been expected to see out the season with current club Corinthians and retire in July, but injuries and the club's early elimination from the Copa Libertadores prompted him to bring forward his retirement.
"These last two years, I've had a long series of injuries, from one side to the other, one leg to the other, one muscle to the other. The pain pushed me to think about the end of my career.
"It's very hard to leave something that made me so happy. Mentally I wanted to continue but I have to acknowledge that I lost to my body.
"It hurts when I go up the stairs, people who are close to me know this. I thought about it at home and realised that it was time.
"I've given my life to football. I don't regret anything, but I can't keep going.
"It was a very beautiful career, wonderful and exciting. There were a lot of defeats and a lot of victories.
"I made a lot of friends and I can't recall any enemies. I'm ending my career due to some very important reasons.
"I'll miss it a lot. With this announcement, it feels like it's my first death."
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, the player known as O Fenômeno during his prime scored goals at a prolific rate for PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan, before returning to Brazil in 2008.
He was the first player to win FIFA World Player of the Year award three times but his career has been plagued by career-threatening knee injuries, which kept him sidelined for nearly three years in total.
The Rio de Janeiro-born tore up his right knee with Inter in 1999 and needed surgery, and a year later he twisted the same knee on the day he was returning to action and had to be sidelined for several months again after another surgery.
The third injury came with Milan in 2008, forcing another surgery and another long layoff.
Ronaldo will perhaps be best remembered for his international exploits, having scored 15 World Cup goals, breaking the record previously held by Germany legend Gerd Müller.
And here's a video tribute to one of the greatest players that ever graced the planet.
Senior Career:
Honours:
FIFA World Cup (1994, 2002)
Copa América (1997, 1999)
FIFA Confederations Cup (1997)
Intercontinental Cup (2002)
UEFA Cup Winners Cup (1997)
UEFA Cup (1998)
Copa do Brasil (1993, 2009)
Campeonato Mineiro (1994)
Dutch KNVB Cup (1996)
Spanish Super Cup (1996, 2003)
Spanish La Liga (2003)
Copa del Rey (1997)
Campeonato Paulista (2009)
Supercopa Libertadores Top Scorer (1994)
Campeonato Mineiro Top Scorer (1994)
Dutch Eredivisie Top Scorer (1995)
Bravo Award (1995, 1997, 1998)
World Soccer Player of the Year (1996, 1997, 2002)
FIFA World Player of the Year (1996, 1997, 2002)
U-21 European Footballer of the Year (1997, 1998)
Spanish La Liga Top Scorer (1997, 2004)
Don Balón Award La Liga Foreign Player of the Year (1997)
La Liga South American Player of the Year (1997, 2003)
Copa América MVP (1997)
Ballon D'or (1997, 2002)
Onze d'Or (1997, 2002)
European Golden Boot (1997)
Serie A Player of the Decade (1997–2007)
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (1998, 2002)
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1998)
Italian Serie A Footballer of the Year (1998)
Italian Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year (1998)
Copa América Top Scorer (1999)
FIFA World Cup Top Scorer (2002)
FIFA World Cup Silver Ball (2002)
Intercontinental Cup MVP (2002)
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality (2002)
Campeonato Paulista MVP (2009)
Related links:
Personal
Also see:
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| A tearful Ronaldo gestures during a news conference in Brazil Photo: Reuters |
The 34-year-old striker had been expected to see out the season with current club Corinthians and retire in July, but injuries and the club's early elimination from the Copa Libertadores prompted him to bring forward his retirement.
Ronaldo said at an emotional press conference in São Paulo: "I'm closing my career as a professional player.
"These last two years, I've had a long series of injuries, from one side to the other, one leg to the other, one muscle to the other. The pain pushed me to think about the end of my career.
"It's very hard to leave something that made me so happy. Mentally I wanted to continue but I have to acknowledge that I lost to my body.
"It hurts when I go up the stairs, people who are close to me know this. I thought about it at home and realised that it was time.
"I've given my life to football. I don't regret anything, but I can't keep going.
"It was a very beautiful career, wonderful and exciting. There were a lot of defeats and a lot of victories.
"I made a lot of friends and I can't recall any enemies. I'm ending my career due to some very important reasons.
"I'll miss it a lot. With this announcement, it feels like it's my first death."
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| Ronaldo celebrates with his Brazil team-mates after winning the 2002 World Cup Photo: Reuters |
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, the player known as O Fenômeno during his prime scored goals at a prolific rate for PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan, before returning to Brazil in 2008.
He was the first player to win FIFA World Player of the Year award three times but his career has been plagued by career-threatening knee injuries, which kept him sidelined for nearly three years in total.
The Rio de Janeiro-born tore up his right knee with Inter in 1999 and needed surgery, and a year later he twisted the same knee on the day he was returning to action and had to be sidelined for several months again after another surgery.
The third injury came with Milan in 2008, forcing another surgery and another long layoff.
Ronaldo will perhaps be best remembered for his international exploits, having scored 15 World Cup goals, breaking the record previously held by Germany legend Gerd Müller.
And here's a video tribute to one of the greatest players that ever graced the planet.
Full name: Ronaldo Luíz Nazário de Lima
Date of birth: September 22, 1976
Birthplace: Bento Ribeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nationality: Brazilian
Senior Career:
| Years | Team | Apps | Goals |
| 1993 | Cruzeiro | 44 | 44 |
| 1994–1995 | PSV Eindhoven | 36 | 35 |
| 1995–1996 | PSV Eindhoven | 21 | 19 |
| 1996-1997 | Barcelona | 49 | 47 |
| 1997-1998 | Inter Milan | 47 | 34 |
| 1998-1999 | Inter Milan | 28 | 15 |
| 1999-2000 | Inter Milan | 8 | 3 |
| 2000-2001 | Inter Milan | 0 | 0 |
| 2001-2002 | Inter Milan | 16 | 7 |
| 2002-2003 | Real Madrid | 44 | 30 |
| 2003-2004 | Real Madrid | 48 | 31 |
| 2004-2005 | Real Madrid | 45 | 24 |
| 2005-2006 | Real Madrid | 27 | 15 |
| 2006-2007 | Real Madrid | 13 | 4 |
| 2006-2007 | AC Milan | 14 | 7 |
| 2007-2008 | AC Milan | 6 | 2 |
| 2009 | Corinthians | 38 | 23 |
| 2010 | Corinthians | 27 | 12 |
| 2011 | Corinthians | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 515 | 352 |
Senior Career:
| Years | Team | Apps | Goals |
| 1994–2006 | Brazil | 97 | 62 |
Honours:
FIFA World Cup (1994, 2002)
Copa América (1997, 1999)
FIFA Confederations Cup (1997)
Intercontinental Cup (2002)
UEFA Cup Winners Cup (1997)
UEFA Cup (1998)
Copa do Brasil (1993, 2009)
Campeonato Mineiro (1994)
Dutch KNVB Cup (1996)
Spanish Super Cup (1996, 2003)
Spanish La Liga (2003)
Copa del Rey (1997)
Campeonato Paulista (2009)
Supercopa Libertadores Top Scorer (1994)
Campeonato Mineiro Top Scorer (1994)
Dutch Eredivisie Top Scorer (1995)
Bravo Award (1995, 1997, 1998)
World Soccer Player of the Year (1996, 1997, 2002)
FIFA World Player of the Year (1996, 1997, 2002)
U-21 European Footballer of the Year (1997, 1998)
Spanish La Liga Top Scorer (1997, 2004)
Don Balón Award La Liga Foreign Player of the Year (1997)
La Liga South American Player of the Year (1997, 2003)
Copa América MVP (1997)
Ballon D'or (1997, 2002)
Onze d'Or (1997, 2002)
European Golden Boot (1997)
Serie A Player of the Decade (1997–2007)
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (1998, 2002)
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1998)
Italian Serie A Footballer of the Year (1998)
Italian Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year (1998)
Copa América Top Scorer (1999)
FIFA World Cup Top Scorer (2002)
FIFA World Cup Silver Ball (2002)
Intercontinental Cup MVP (2002)
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality (2002)
Campeonato Paulista MVP (2009)
Related links:
Personal
Also see:
