Over the coming years, GOAL's Hall of Fame will celebrate the greatest the footballers to have ever played the game over the course of its 150-plus year history. With so many to choose from, we have decided to begin with a player who left his mark on both the previous and current millennium: Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's career has a uniqueness that sets it apart from others. All football lovers, even the less passionate ones, would be able to describe the most significant snapshots of 'O Fenomeno's' journey.
The incredible goal in the UEFA Cup final against Lazio, the slalom between Compostela's defenders, lifting the World Cup with anything but an ordinary hairstyle, but also the 'crack' of his knee at the Olympic Stadium and the infamous photo of the plane steps that brought the Selecao home after France '98. Five snapshots of a career rich in epic, unforgettable, and above all, iconic images.
Because Ronaldo, perhaps even above the great footballer he was, was an icon. In an era where the game was changing from a technical, athletic and economic standpoint, the boy from the dusty streets Bento Ribeiro was to the forefront of that transformation.