Editing Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) (section)

===Inter Milan===
====1997–1999: World record transfer and Ballon d'Or win====
[[File:Ronaldo Cannes (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Ronaldo at the [[1999 Cannes Film Festival]]]]

Ronaldo's time at Barcelona lasted one season, as there were problems with the renegotiation of his contract.<ref name="ESPN"/> Barcelona thought there was an agreement in place, with Barcelona president [[Josep Lluís Núñez]] saying "He's ours for life", but when the parties reconvened the following day, the agreement collapsed, with Núñez admitting: "It's all over, Ronaldo is going".<ref name="ESPN"/> Speaking to [[ESPN]], Ronaldo stated, "I had reached an agreement to renew my contract just a month before that season finished, but a week later the lawyer and the president of Barcelona agreed that that contract was absurd."<ref>{{cite news |title=How good was Ronaldo Nazario? |url=http://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2017/06/09/593a842e468aeb66648b460e.html |access-date=29 August 2018 |work=Marca |archive-date=29 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829212038/http://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2017/06/09/593a842e468aeb66648b460e.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Paying the buy out clause fee in his contract, [[Inter Milan]] signed him in the summer of 1997 for [[World football transfer record|a then world record fee of $27&nbsp;million]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Ronaldo says exits from Barcelona are often ugly for Brazilians |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/football/soccer-transfers/story/3328280/ronaldo-says-exits-from-barcelona-are-often-ugly-for-brazilians?device=featurephone |access-date=19 June 2021 |agency=ESPN |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203944/https://www.espn.co.uk/football/soccer-transfers/story/3328280/ronaldo-says-exits-from-barcelona-are-often-ugly-for-brazilians?device=featurephone |url-status=live }}</ref> making him the second player, after [[Diego Maradona]], to break the world transfer record twice.<ref name="Smyth"/><ref name="ESPN"/> He signed a five-year contract with the Italians,<ref name="InterTransfer">{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-ronaldo-signs-up-for-inter-1257195.html |title=Ronaldo signs up for Inter |date=20 June 1997 |access-date=19 June 2021 |work=The Independent |archive-date=25 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125130230/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-ronaldo-signs-up-for-inter-1257195.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and was unveiled to 4,000 Inter fans at their training ground.<ref name="FFT">{{cite web |last=Barker |first=Matt |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ronaldo-inter-milan-brazilian-italy-serie-a-europa-league-lazio-juventus-uefa-cup-final-injury-knee |title=Ronaldo at Inter Milan: The UEFA Cup, the goals and the injuries – the full story of his time in Italy |date=17 August 2020 |access-date=19 June 2021 |work=FourFourTwo |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624203424/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ronaldo-inter-milan-brazilian-italy-serie-a-europa-league-lazio-juventus-uefa-cup-final-injury-knee |url-status=live }}</ref> His debut came on 27 July during the pre-season fixture against [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]].<ref name="FFT"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-ronaldo-all-the-rage-at-inter-1252941.html |title=Ronaldo all the rage at Inter |date=27 July 1997 |access-date=19 June 2021 |work=The Independent |archive-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624214139/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-ronaldo-all-the-rage-at-inter-1252941.html |url-status=live }}</ref> His competitive debut came on the opening day of the [[1997–98 Serie A|1997–98 season]] against [[Brescia Calcio|Brescia]].<ref name="GentUltra">{{cite web |last=Gates |first=Emmet |url=https://gentlemanultra.com/2017/03/30/goal-o-the-times-alvaro-recoba-vs-brescia-1997/ |title=Goal O' The Times: Alvaro Recoba vs. Brescia (1997) |date=30 March 2017 |access-date=19 June 2021 |work=Gentleman Ultra |archive-date=5 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210805120432/https://gentlemanultra.com/2017/03/30/goal-o-the-times-alvaro-recoba-vs-brescia-1997/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ronaldo adapted to the Italian style of the game in his first season, finishing with 25 Serie A goals, and was named [[Serie A Footballer of the Year]].<ref name="SerieA"/> Ronaldo started to develop into a complete forward. He began racking up assists, became first-choice penalty taker, taking and scoring freekicks. Halfway through his first season he won [[1997 FIFA World Player of the Year|FIFA World Player of the Year]] for the second time, and collected the [[Ballon d'Or]].<ref name="Inter">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9396646.stm "Brazil legend Ronaldo retires from football"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819034235/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9396646.stm |date=19 August 2020 }} BBC. Retrieved 20 November 2013</ref> During his time with Inter, he scored several goals against city rivals [[A.C. Milan|AC Milan]] in the [[Derby della Madonnina]]. Ronaldo and prolific Fiorentina striker [[Gabriel Batistuta]] were the two best strikers in Serie A, with their duels the most anticipated in Italy.<ref>{{cite news |title=European Football: Ronaldo's duel with Batistuta |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/european-football-ronaldos-duel-with-batistuta-1240337.html |access-date=15 August 2018 |newspaper=The Independent |archive-date=15 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815171134/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/european-football-ronaldos-duel-with-batistuta-1240337.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Ronaldo's [[goal celebration]]s often saw his Inter teammates congratulating him by kneeling down and pretending to shine his shoe.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Collie |first1=Ashley Jude |title=World of Soccer: A Complete Guide to the World's Most Popular Sport |date=2003 |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |page=9}}</ref> Ronaldo scored a trademark goal against [[S.S. Lazio|Lazio]] in the [[1998 UEFA Cup Final]]. Running through defence to go one on one with Lazio goalkeeper [[Luca Marchegiani]], Ronaldo [[Dummy (football)#Association football|feinted]] to go right then left, without touching the ball, leaving Marchegiani on his backside, before going right and slotting the ball into the net.<ref name="UEFA 98"/> His Inter teammate [[Youri Djorkaeff]] stated; "Ronaldo was phenomenal. He proved that he was a cut above the rest that season."<ref name="UEFA 98">[https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0215-0e8aa76918b7-2ca3c375dfad-1000--djorkaeff-s-uefa-cup-glory-day-at-inter/ "Djorkaeff's UEFA Cup glory day at Inter"] . UEFA.com. Retrieved 1 June 2014</ref> After the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]], where he was named player of the tournament, Ronaldo was widely regarded as the best striker in the world.<ref name="Smyth"/><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140602200418/http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/archive/edition=1999901998/news/ "FIFA World Player Gala 1998"]. FIFA.com. Retrieved 1 June 2014</ref> By the end of the 1998–99 season, he was appointed Inter Milan captain.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1999/05/03/ecco-inter-di-hodgson-roma-caccia.html |title=Ecco l'Inter di Hodgson. Roma a caccia del 4º posto |newspaper=[[La Repubblica]] |date=3 May 1999 |language=it |access-date=26 May 2017 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403010134/https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1999/05/03/ecco-inter-di-hodgson-roma-caccia.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====1999–2002: Recurring injury problems====
{{quote box|width=29%|align=left|quote="The knee injuries suffered at Inter Milan took away the explosiveness that made him possibly the greatest young footballer of all time, a futuristic fusion of speed, strength and skill. That is not to belittle Ronaldo's achievements in the second half of his career, when he scored eight goals in a single [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] [in [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]] and became the first Ronaldo to receive a standing ovation at [[Old Trafford]] [in [[2002–03 UEFA Champions League knockout stage#Second leg|2003]]], but it is the memory of the early years that puts mist in the eyes of grown men."|source=—Rob Smyth, ''The Guardian''.<ref name="Smyth">{{cite news |last1=Smyth |first1=Rob |title=Ronaldo at 40: Il Fenomeno's legacy as greatest ever No 9, despite dodgy knees |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/sep/17/ronaldo-40-birthday-brazil-greatest-ever-striker |newspaper=The Guardian |date=17 September 2016 |access-date=1 April 2017 |archive-date=7 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907161434/https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/sep/17/ronaldo-40-birthday-brazil-greatest-ever-striker |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
After two seasons with Inter, A.C. Milan defender [[Paolo Maldini]] viewed Ronaldo and Diego Maradona as the two best players he ever faced, stating, "Ronaldo during his first two years at Inter was a phenomenon."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Landolina|first1=Salvatore|title=Maradona And Ronaldo Best Ever - Maldini|url=http://www.goal.com/en/news/8/main/2008/10/04/895828/maradona-and-ronaldo-best-ever-maldini|access-date=23 September 2015|work=Goal.com|date=4 October 2008|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923023026/http://www.goal.com/en/news/8/main/2008/10/04/895828/maradona-and-ronaldo-best-ever-maldini|url-status=live}}</ref> Inter had high hopes going into the 1999–2000 season with their attack including Ronaldo and Italian stars [[Roberto Baggio]] and [[Christian Vieri]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hughes|first1=Rob|title=He and Ronaldo Give Inter a Dynamic Duo : For Vieri, One More Change of the Jersey|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/10/sports/10iht-soccer.2.t_4.html|access-date=23 September 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 June 1999|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923023221/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/10/sports/10iht-soccer.2.t_4.html|url-status=live}}</ref> However, on 21 November, during a Serie A match against [[U.S. Lecce|Lecce]], Ronaldo felt his knee buckle and was forced to limp off the field.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> A medical examination confirmed that the striker had ruptured a tendon in his knee and would require surgery.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=1044&b=true&pn=Lu%C3%ADz_Naz%C3%A1rio_de_Lima |title=Ronaldo (Luíz (Ronaldo) Nazário de Lima) – Milan and Brazil |publisher=Footballdatabase.com |access-date=12 December 2010 |archive-date=13 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213115304/https://footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=player&Id=1044&b=true&pn=Lu%C3%ADz_Naz%C3%A1rio_de_Lima |url-status=live }}</ref> During his first comeback on 12 April 2000, he played only six minutes during the first leg of the [[Coppa Italia]] final against [[S.S. Lazio|Lazio]] before suffering a complete rupture of the [[Patellar ligament|knee-cap tendons]].<ref name="Knee"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Inter return for Ronaldo |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/european/3013145/Inter-return-for-Ronaldo.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/european/3013145/Inter-return-for-Ronaldo.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=4 September 2018 |work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Ronaldo's physiotherapist Nilton Petrone stated, "his knee-cap actually exploded", and called it "the worst football injury" he's ever seen.<ref name="Explosive">{{cite news |title='Ronaldo's kneecap exploded, it was by his thigh' |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/performance/training/ronaldos-kneecap-exploded-it-was-his-thigh |access-date=6 August 2020 |work=FourFourTwo |archive-date=22 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422081153/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/performance/training/ronaldos-kneecap-exploded-it-was-his-thigh |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ronaldo was forced to miss the entire [[2000–01 Serie A|2000–01 season]] and much of the two seasons either side of it.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ronaldo fights the flab and dodgy knees |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ronaldo-fights-the-flab-and-dodgy-knees-1050397.html |access-date=30 August 2018 |work=The Independent |archive-date=7 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207133147/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/ronaldo-fights-the-flab-and-dodgy-knees-1050397.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Since his Inter teammate [[Javier Zanetti]] had replaced him as the team captain during his absence, he eventually inherited the captain's armband in late 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inter.it/it/news/5173|title=Ronaldo e la fascia da capitano: "Giusto che la porti Zanetti" e in serata il sì di Cuper|publisher=Football Club Internazionale Milano|website=Inter.it|language=it|date=3 November 2001|access-date=26 May 2017|archive-date=20 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720074822/https://www.inter.it/it/news/5173|url-status=dead}}</ref> After two operations and rehabilitation, Ronaldo came back for the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup]], helping Brazil win their fifth World Cup title. Later in 2002, he won the [[FIFA World Player of the Year]] award for the third time, and transferred from Inter to [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]].<ref name="Inter"/> Ronaldo was given his most recognizable nickname, {{lang|pt|Il Fenomeno}}, by the Italian press while playing there.<ref name="Wash post">{{cite news |title=Brazil's Ronaldo Has the World at His Feet |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/soccer/longterm/worldcup98/teams/articles/ronaldo4.htm |last=Shepard |first=Michael T. |date=4 June 1998 |access-date=1 September 2018 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119024924/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/soccer/longterm/worldcup98/teams/articles/ronaldo4.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Smyth"/> His Inter teammate Djorkaeff stated: "when we were training, we would practically stop to watch him. It was extraordinary."<ref>{{cite news |title=Ronaldo makes retirement official |url=http://www.espn.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6120565/lack-fitness-led-retirement-18-seasons |access-date=1 September 2018 |agency=ESPN |archive-date=2 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902012000/http://www.espn.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6120565/lack-fitness-led-retirement-18-seasons |url-status=live }}</ref> Prior to his November 1999 injury, Ronaldo had registered 42 goals in 58 Serie A games, in what was the hardest league to score in with the most advanced defensive strategies and the world's best defenders.<ref>{{cite news |title=Luis Nazario Ronaldo |url=https://www.inter.it/en/archivio_giocatore/G0556 |access-date=2 September 2018 |agency=Inter.it. |archive-date=3 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903215217/https://www.inter.it/en/archivio_giocatore/G0556 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Serie A in the '90s: when Italian football ruled the world |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/serie-a-90s-when-baggio-batistuta-and-italian-football-ruled-world?page=0%2C2|access-date=15 August 2018 |work=Four Four Two|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903182945/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/serie-a-90s-when-baggio-batistuta-and-italian-football-ruled-world?page=0%2C2 |archive-date=3 September 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> After five years, he had played 99 games and scored 59 goals for ''Nerazzurri''.<ref name="Inter"/> Ronaldo's performances at the club – especially the first two seasons before injury – saw him named among the four inaugural inductees into the [[Inter Milan Hall of Fame]] in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ronaldo Nazario da Lima Interview. Inter Hall of Fame 2018 |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QR5YSwQ4iek | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211028/QR5YSwQ4iek| archive-date=28 October 2021|website=YouTube | date=6 April 2018 |publisher=Inter. |access-date=1 September 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inter.it/en/news/61845/hall-of-fame-the-first-editions-4-winners|title=Hall Of Fame: The first edition's 4 winners|website=Inter.it|access-date=22 June 2018|archive-date=22 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622165311/https://www.inter.it/en/news/61845/hall-of-fame-the-first-editions-4-winners|url-status=dead}}</ref>