THE WASTED TALENT

Brazilian players have their own way to live and play football; the JOGA BONITO way, in Brazil football, is a culture, a religion if we may say. It a country that years after years provided the world best football clubs with talented players and Ronaldo was one of them; a striker that had it all skills, speed, and feints.

Ronaldo de Lima was an amazing player who introduces himself to the world with his step over and clinical finishing after scoring forty-four goals in forty-seven games for Cruzeiro and fifty-four goals in fifty-eight games for PSV before being transferred to FC Barcelona.

Endowed with an incredible talent which earned him the nickname of "Il Fenomeno", the respect of his pairs, many individual awards and an infinity of trophies including two world cup and two golden balls.

The Brazilian number nine had the means and the talent to become the best ever to play the game, however, he had a weakness: his knees and his passions for parties.

Ronaldo's knees was always a problem that was constantly there, like a curse who impeached him to fully express himself

During his career, he suffered tree big knees injures while playing PSV, for inter Milan, and for A.C Milan

The first one kept him away from the grass for two years, the second one kept him away for one year and the last one practically terminated his European career and send him to an early return to the Brazilian national league.

He struggles during his whole career because of injuries, the repetitive injuries were also due to none Sportive lifestyle as he also had a problem with is weight and had a very festive life and wasn't resting enough for a professional player.

The fact remains that after his injuries Ronaldo Nazario De Lima, was never the same, it took away the explosiveness that made him famous in his prime days; when he was a fusion of speed, strength, and skills.

Even if, over time, he managed to keep being it at a high level for quite a long time playing for one of the best football clubs in history.

It fair to said that the fragility of his knees, his unprofessional lifestyle as well as his timing in a constant change of clubs cost him a career that could have been more glorious and larger than it was.

Tefia Karume Mujijima