Legendary Ronaldo says goodbye to soccer
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![Brazil's Ronaldo (R) is embraced by teammate Robinho during his last soccer match with the national squad against Romania in Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo, June 7, 2011. Ronaldo, 34, played his farewell match to mark the end of a career in which he won two World Cup winners medals and was elected World Player of the Year three times. [Agencies]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110608/000cf1a48b7f0f5950302d.jpg "Brazil's Ronaldo (R) is embraced by teammate Robinho during his last soccer match with the national squad against Romania in Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo, June 7, 2011. Ronaldo, 34, played his farewell match to mark the end of a career in which he won two World Cup winners medals and was elected World Player of the Year three times. [Agencies]") |
| Brazil's Ronaldo (R) is embraced by teammate Robinho during his last soccer match with the national squad against Romania in Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo, June 7, 2011. Ronaldo, 34, played his farewell match to mark the end of a career in which he won two World Cup winners medals and was elected World Player of the Year three times. [Agencies] |
Ronaldo Luis Rosario da Lima, simply known as Ronaldo, bade his official and final farewell to the soccer field on Tuesday when Brazil hosted Romania, winning 1-0 in a friendly inside the Pacaembu stadium in the city of Sao Paulo.
Ronaldo came off the bench to a standing ovation in the 30th minute. As soon as he approached the line judge to announce his entrance in the 27th minute, the crowd went crazy.
He entered in place of Fred, the author of the game's only goal in 21st minute. During his 15 minutes on the field, the striker had two excellent opportunities to score. However, he failed to convert each of them.
In the 35th minute, Ronaldo tapped the ball to Neymar and cut through the defense. Advancing, Neymar dropped it to Ronaldo. In an attempt to redirect the ball into the goal, Romania's goalie Tatarusanu swatted the ball out of bounds.
In the 39th minute, the striker received another great ball from Neymar, leaving him face to face with Tatarusanu. However, an excited Ronaldo drove the ball wide left of the goal.
As soon as the first half concluded, Roanldo received a warm farewell from the fans. Waving a Brazilian flag, Ronaldo made a hero's lap around the stadium and then addressed the audience at midfield.
Circled by 15 banners representing his 15 goals during the World Cup, Ronaldo thanked the fans for all of their support and love over the last 17 years. He asked for the fans forgiveness for being unable to score and not give them a goodbye present.
However, accompanied by his sons, he walked off the field with a smile on his face and a sense of satisfaction.
During his stellar and record holding performance in the World Cup, Ronaldo scored four goals in the 1998 World Cup in France, eight goals for Brazil's title in the 2002 Japan/South Korea World Cup and three goals in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
After Ronaldo's departure from the field for the last time, Brazil returned to the second half with little offensive threat. Although the team remained to attack, the physical size of Romania's defense kept the team from posing any serious threat. The game ended in a 1-0 victory.
Head coach Mano Menezes is now expected to divulge his list of players to play in the 2011 Copa America, beginning on July 1 in host country Argentina.
Ronaldo recently admitted that his first soccer game was spent as goalie. However, he quickly noted that he wanted a bigger part of the action and that he had a given talent to score.
Ronaldo's first professional team was Brazil's Cruzeiro in 1993 when he was only 16-year-old. In the 1993 Brazilian Championship, he scored 12 goals in 14 games, including a record five goals in a single match that year against Bahia.
The following year, Ronaldo scored a record 22 goals in the Minas Gerais state championship, catching the eyes of the world.
The Dutch PSV Eindhoven paid 6 million US dollars for Ronaldo in 1994 where he stayed until 1996 before being traded to Spain's Barcelona.
In 1997, Ronaldo left Barcelona for Italy's Internazionale. In 2002, he moved back to Spain to play for Real Madrid.
In mid 2007 to early 2008, Ronaldo switched back to Italy to play for AC Milan. Finally, in 2009, he decided to return to Brazil to play for Corinthians.
In his career as a professional, Ronaldo has scored a total of 414 goals in 615 games. During his time with the Brazilian national team, he scored 62 goals in 98 games. His 15 World Cup goals remain the record in the competition.
Despite leaving the sport, Ronaldo will not be far from the field. The 34-year-old recently launched Ni9e, his own agency where he will represent the interests and image of high-name sports athletes, such as Neymar. Ronaldo previously declared that he foresees Neymar as his successor and future of Brazilian soccer.
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