Ronaldo clutches his injured knee after crashing to the ground. (Antonio Calanni/Associated Press)
Soccer: John F. Molinaro
There won't be a third comeback for Ronaldo
Last Updated Friday, February 15, 2008
by John F. Molinaro, CBC Sports
It was a sickeningly macabre scene, but one that has become all too familiar to fans who have followed the career of Ronaldo.
A mere two minutes after entering Wednesday's game against Livorno as a substitute, the AC Milan star crumbled to the ground in a heap after his left knee buckled underneath him.
The Brazilian was carted off the field, tears streaming from his eyes and a look of pained anguish on his face. That the Rossoneri managed to score on the ensuing penalty kick to earn a 1-1 draw with Livorno was of little concern, especially for Ronaldo, who, for the third time in just over eight years, saw his career flash in front of him.
This was the same player who suffered a similar injury to his right knee in a match against Lecce in 1999. He tried to return five months later, but re-injured the same knee after only playing seven minutes in his first game back against Lazio.
Two operations and 20 months of rehabilitation later, Ronaldo returned and triumphantly led Brazil to its fifth World Cup title, in 2002. The kid who grew up in the slums of Rio de Janeiro was back on top of the world and weeks later secured a high-profile transfer from Inter Milan to Real Madrid.
Now, his career is in jeopardy again, as surgeons at Paris's Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital completed a two-hour operation on his knee on Thursday.
History of knee problems
There won't be any comeback this time around, though. There can't be, because the current Ronaldo, now 31, bears little resemblance to the Ronaldo who won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times between 1997 and 2002.
That Ronaldo was the most feared player in the game, terrorizing defenders with his speed, technical ability, beautiful ball control and piercing runs. He was a goal-scoring machine who struck fear in opposing goalkeepers.
What happened to that Ronaldo?
What happened to the Ronaldo who scored 68 goals in his first three seasons at Real Madrid? What happened to the Ronaldo that received a standing ovation from the crowd at Old Trafford as he left the field after scoring a hat trick against Manchester United in Champions League?
Sadly, after having his ego massaged in Spain, the Brazilian become a bloated figure — both literally and figuratively.
Questions arose in the Spanish media about his physical fitness — cruel jokes were made about him being too fat — and Real Madrid's own fans often jeered him during games, fed up with his lackadaisical and lacklustre play during the 2005-06 campaign.
He "only" managed 14 goals that season — a respectable tally by normal standards, but when your name is Ronaldo, respectable isn't good enough.
Brazilian fans even began to wonder whether he deserved a starting role on the national team, a thought that would have been inconceivable when he scored a tournament-leading eight goals at the 2002 competition.
The concerns proved to be well-founded, though: Ronaldo barely looked fit in Germany, and Brazil crashed out of the 2006 World Cup in the quarter-finals.
Brazilian scapegoat
Cast as the scapegoat for Brazil's World Cup failure, much as he was when he suffered a panic attack just hours ahead of the 1998 World Cup final (a 3-0 Brazilian loss to the French), Ronaldo soon found himself ostracized at Real Madrid and returned to the city of his greatest success, Milan, when he signed with AC Milan last January.
The return to Italy was supposed to revitalize his flagging career. Instead, it led to more questions about whether he could cut it at the highest level any more — a series of minor injuries resulted in him making just 16 appearances since joining the Rossoneri.
What lies ahead for Ronaldo?
Well, the surgery went well and Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti belives the Brazilian will, in fact, play again.
But it's safe to assume we've seen him play at the highest level for the last time. His contract with AC Milan expires at the end of this season, and it's hard to see the Italian outfit re-signing him. Will another European club take a chance on him now? It's doubtful.
That only leaves a return home, where the quality of the Brazilian first division pales in comparison to the standard found in the top European leagues, or Major League Soccer, a league where too many aging European and South American stars past their prime try to relive past glories.
Let's hope that the surgeons in Paris can relieve his pain and fix his knee. But let's also hope that Ronaldo recognizes that he can't be the player he was 10 years ago and calls it a career.
John F. Molinaro is a reporter for CBCSports.ca whose chief love is international soccer. Contact John here.
Related
More John
- Opportunitas Aequa: Soccer with a social conscience
- 'It was time to walk away': Jason de Vos
- Bordeaux a sip away from winning French title
- Greg Sutton: Standing tall once again
- Toronto FC has serious problems at the back
- Getafe can hold its head high
- Meet the new boss: John Carver is no soft touch
- South American stars add flair to MLS
- What is Mo Johnston waiting for?
- Valencia's season goes from bad to worse
- There won't be a third comeback for Ronaldo
- Canadian coach doesn't fault de Guzman for Dutch decision
- Webster decision could be the second coming of the Bosman ruling
- Instant replay has no place in soccer
- Time for Europe to quit whining about the African Cup of Nations
- AS Nancy is turning heads in France
- Blatter's quota system is misguided
- Lanús' title victory offers hope to soccer fans
- Euro failure an opportunity for England to rebuild
- Italian soccer's problems rooted in serious social issues
- FIFA world player award is a farce
- False dawn on the horizon for Juventus
- Deification of Jose Mourinho is premature
- No more Mr. Nice Guy for Mo Johnston
- Rest in peace, Antonio Puerta
- CSA continues to hijack Canadian soccer
- Shinawatra stain points to the moral corruption of English soccer
- Toronto FC is the hottest ticket in town
- Toronto FC can't use injuries as an excuse
- Giggs a class act on and off the field
- Juan Pablo Angel gives MLS a credibility boost
- Flying Donkeys get wings clipped
- Toronto FC players, coach caught in a catch-22
- Mitchell's legs cut out from him by Canadian soccer officials
- No peace in the valley for Charlton Athletic
- Veron proves you can go home again
- Toronto FC in good hands with Mo
- Manchester United doesn't need Hargreaves
- A strong case for the defence: Paolo Maldini
- Man U and Ronaldo: a match made in heaven
- Sevilla makes Madrid, Barcelona take notice
- Please say it ain't so, Zizou
- Riquelme gets a second chance at Boca
- England is more pussycat than lion
- Apathy is Italy's biggest soccer woe
- Magath's firing makes little sense
- Ronaldo hoping for Italian renaissance
- Olympique Lyon still looking for respect
- Coming to America: David Beckham
- Chelsea feeling blue without John Terry
- Success comes at a price for some Brazilian players
- Hooligans are running amok in Argentina
- Deisler's tale is of hope, not depression
- Thirteen years of hurt for Marseille
- Romanov is making Hearts bleed
- Del Piero's love affair with Juventus
- Manchester stands United
- Beckham's Spanish dilemna
