Editing Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) (section)

===Cruzeiro===
Ronaldo quickly attracted attention from big clubs, and his agents rejected offers from [[Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas|Botafogo]] and [[São Paulo FC|São Paulo]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Law |first=Joshua |date=22 September 2023 |title=Ronaldo Fenomeno's rise in Brazil: 'It was as if he'd come from the moon' |url=https://www.planetfootball.com/in-depth/the-making-of-o-fenomeno-in-brazil-it-was-as-if-he-had-come-from-the-moon |access-date=9 July 2024 |website=Planet Football |language=en}}</ref> He was turned down by [[Clube de Regatas do Flamengo|Flamengo]], the team he supported as a boy, after missing practice due to an inability to afford the fare for the hour-long bus ride.<ref name="Wash post" /><ref>"The Global Art of Soccer" (2006). P. 174</ref> Jairzinho saw Ronaldo's potential and helped get him a move to [[Cruzeiro Esporte Clube|Cruzeiro]].<ref name="Wash post"/> Ronaldo's agents accepted an offer of €50,000 from the club, and he scored four goals on his youth team debut.<ref name="OFenomono"/>

Three months after arriving at Cruzeiro, Ronaldo made his professional debut on 25 May 1993 against [[Caldense]] in the [[Minas Gerais State Championship]].<ref name="OFenomono"/><ref name="Cruzeiro">[http://m.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2013/m=10/news=ronaldo-history-goals-can-erased-2201316.html "Ronaldo: My history & goals can't be erased"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819082654/http://m.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2013/m=10/news=ronaldo-history-goals-can-erased-2201316.html |date=19 August 2014 }}. FIFA.com. Retrieved 3 June 2014</ref> His first senior goal came in a friendly during a tour of Portugal, scoring a goal against [[C.F. Os Belenenses|Belenenses]] and generally impressing new coach [[Carlos Alberto Silva]], enough to become a first team regular.<ref name="OFenomono"/> During the tour, his performance against [[FC Porto|Porto]] impressed enough that they bid $500,000, which was turned down by club president César Masci.<ref name="OFenomono"/>

Upon returning from the 1993 summer tour, he would score 20 goals in 21 games for Cruzeiro until the end of the year. On 5 October 1993 he scored his first senior career hat-trick against Chilean side [[Colo-Colo]] (6–1) in the first home leg of the [[1993 Supercopa Libertadores|Supercopa Libertadores]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.allfootballapp.com/news/Headline/Ronaldo-Fenomeno%E2%80%99s-rise-in-Brazil-%E2%80%98It-was-as-if-he%E2%80%99d-come-from-the-moon%E2%80%99/3279936|title= Ronaldo Fenomeno's rise in Brazil: 'It was as if he'd come from the moon'|date=22 January 2024|publisher=allfootballapp.com}}</ref> He scored two more in the second leg, further three against Uruguayan team [[Club Nacional de Football|Nacional]], and finished as the tournament's top-scorer with 8 goals,<ref name="OFenomono"/> being the youngest to do so in the history of the [[Supercopa Libertadores]].

On 7 November 1993 he came to national public attention once more by scoring five goals in Cruzeiro's 6–0 home win against [[Esporte Clube Bahia|Bahia]]<ref>Placar Magazine (Mar 2003) p. 35.</ref> in the [[1993 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A]] and became the second youngest South-American in history to score a league hat-trick behind [[Pelé]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://90soccer.com/erling-haalands-beginnings-in-the-norwegian-fourth-division/|title=Erling Haaland's beginnings in Norwegian fourth division and youngest hat-tricks in history |website=90soccer.com|date=19 January 2024 |author= }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/legend-fenomeno/blt87c5a55f5a2caaa7|title=Ronaldo Nazario: The legend of O Fenomeno |website=goal.com|date= 4 October 2022|author= }}</ref>

Ronaldo scored a total of 44 goals in 47 games with Cruzeiro in two seasons, leading them to their first [[Copa do Brasil]] in 1993, and the Minas Gerais State Championship in 1994.<ref>{{cite news |title=How good was Ronaldo Nazario? |url=https://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2017/06/09/593a842e468aeb66648b460e.html |access-date=6 July 2020 |work=Marca |archive-date=7 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707034721/https://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2017/06/09/593a842e468aeb66648b460e.html |url-status=live }}</ref>