One of the strongest and most vivid memories I have of watching soccer as a kid harken back to the summer of 2002, where I found myself watching the pre-match buildup for Brazil's semi final tie versus Turkey. As the camera turned its attention to the players warming up, it was as though only one performer was of any significance to ABC's American audience. The camera panned upwards to show the back of Ronaldo Luiz Narazio de Lima's training top and managed to catch him turning to his left and winking at a compatriot. A superstar in the purest and grandest sense, Ronaldo had only just managed to even make the tournament roster. He had been recovering for almost three entire years in the build up to the World Cup, after suffering a ruptured tendon in his knee on two separate occasions during a horrifically unlucky spell at Inter Milan. Yet the world's gaze was transfixed on this 'Phenomenon', and seemed to be certain that no matter what the circumstances, it would be Ronaldo who would steal the show in Korea/Japan.
The world was right.
At this point in the competition, after Brazil's first 5 games, Ronaldo had already notched 5 goals in what was fast becoming an epic campaign. Despite this, and despite being pinned as massive favorites in the tie, having already defeated Turkey in their opening fixture, Brazil found themselves tied at halftime against an upstart national side in their semi-final battle. What gave Brazil the lead (one which they so desperately deserved despite the heroics of Turkish goalie Rustu) was likely the second greatest (see Maradona v England) individual effort in World Cup history. A description of the play cannot truly encapsulate the heroics, the skill, and the will required to produce such a goal. A video of it serves the purpose far better.
In the aftermath of this magical display, the game and the tournament itself was Brazil's to lose. The Selecao went on to win the cup, Ronaldo won the golden boot with 8 strikes, and all was right in the soccer world. That is how I remember El Fenomeno, much like the rest of the world. He sported a heinous triangular buzzcut, he was overweight, he had a gapped tooth smile, and he was unstoppable.
Nike created the 'Superstar' aspect of Ronaldo just prior to (and even more fervently in the immediate aftermath of) his domination in Korea/Japan, and R9 became a household entity. As the advertisement that prefaced this increasingly long blog post reflects, Ronaldo's rise to fame has sparked the creation of many celebrity superstars on Brazilian soil. The main two filling that role at present are Santos' teammates Neymar and Ganso. One must wonder, though, whether the glorification of Ronaldo may hamper the careers of these two wunderkinds. As the viral video shows, After Ronaldo (A.R.), we now have press conferences where a 19 year old Neymar sits before a room of ravenous reporters, preening his cockatoo haircut, dressed in several hundred dollars worth of Selecao paraphernalia. Is this really what we as football fans want, or what the player needs?
Would we have it any other way? If this is the direct result of what happened in 2002, when I truly became a fanatic of the game, the answer must be a resounding 'no'.
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