Each month in the "our heroes" section you will read about the club's greatest idols. Who are these heroes and what have they meant to the club? With this month: Ronaldo. The Brazilian came to PSV in the 1990s and took his first steps in Europe in Eindhoven. It turned out to be the beginning of an unprecedented period of success for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, as Ronaldo's full name is, was born 45 years ago in the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro. In 1996, PSV bought the Brazilian from Cruzeiro, the club where Ronaldo made his debut at the age of 16. Ronaldo ended up playing two seasons at PSV. In 57 matches, the striker scored 54 goals.
Debut year
With his transfer to PSV, Ronaldo followed in the footsteps of his compatriot Romário, also one of the greats in PSV history. In his first season in Eindhoven, Ronaldo immediately scored thirty times in the league. His potential thus immediately becomes visible to the general public. In a European match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Ronaldo scores a hat-trick.
Expensive transfer
In Ronaldo's second season, the striker had to deal with injuries. Ronaldo plays only thirteen league matches that season, in which he still manages to score twelve goals. Halfway through 1996, PSV sold the striker to FC Barcelona for a sum of 34 million guilders, or about 15 million euros. That was a record amount at the time. Ronaldo played one season for Barcelona and in that year captured the top scorer title and the European Cup II.
Best player in the world
Later, Ronaldo played for Internazionale, Real Madrid and AC Milan, among others. In 2002, Ronaldo became world champion with his country Brazil. At the tournament held in Japan and South Korea, Ronaldo scored no fewer than eight goals in seven matches. That also earns him the title of World Football Player of the Year in 2002, a prize Ronaldo also won in 1996 and 1997.
FIFA player
Ronaldo chooses a special hairstyle during the 2002 World Cup. Just before the semifinals, he shaved most of his head bald, except for a semi-circle above his forehead. Ronaldo said he did this to divert media attention from his injury problems. Meanwhile, Ronaldo is one of the popular characters in the Icon series on the football game FIFA. There, the striker is one of the most expensive and best cards in the game.