Sporting Life
Ronaldo celebrates his hat-trick for Real Madrid
Ronaldo celebrates his hat-trick for Real Madrid

Ronaldo v Ronaldo: On This Day in football Brazilian Ronaldo shone at old Trafford - was he better than Cristiano?

By Paul Higham
Football
Thu April 23, 2020 · 5y ago

To mark the day the 'real Ronaldo' stole the show for Real Madrid at Old Trafford, Paul Higham pays tribute to El Fenomeno.

There was a time when the name Ronaldo stood alone, without the Cristiano in front of it, but was still in the same conversation about who the best player in the world was.

It’s perhaps a nice touch of symmetry between the two that one of the crowning glories for the ‘original Ronaldo’ came at one of the homes of Cristiano (as we’ll call him for the purposes of this confusing piece) and where he truly became a global icon.

Old Trafford rose to its feet to applaud Ronaldo on April 23, 2003 after a stunning Champions League hat-trick – nothing new there apart from he was wearing Real Madrid black and putting the Red Devils to the sword.

Ronaldo showed every aspect of his unlimited footballing ability, gifts that saw him crowned FIFA World Player of the Year aged just 20 – the youngest player to ever scoop the accolade that he would go on to win three times in all.

He also broke the world transfer record twice before the age of 21 when moving to Barcelona and then on to Inter Milan in a couple of seasons, before injuries took hold and limited what should have been a career to match even the gear Pele and Diego Maradona.

On the rivalry over the name, in an Instagram interview with Fabio Cannavaro, he said: “For Cristiano, it must be boring to hear that I am the real Ronaldo.

“People cannot be compared. Cristiano will remain in football history for the goals and for the continuity he has achieved. He will remain one of the best, like Messi.”

Ronaldo was part of the 1994 Brazil squad that won the World Cup in America as a teenager, but never played and funnily enough he was known as Ronaldinho back then!

He could’ve been a three-time World Cup winner but for the mysterious happenings before the 1998 final defeat to France, but he bounced back with a stellar tournament in Japan and Korea in 2002.

Ronaldo v Ronaldo

Fanio Capello compared the two, stating: "He (Ronaldo) was more talented (than Cristiano) and if he took care of himself like the Portuguese does, his performances would have been even more incredible." That’s a sentiment anyone who saw Ronaldo in full flow would probably agree with.

As Cristiano battles it out with Lionel Messi these days, back in the late 1990s it was the Brazilian, most say original version of Ronaldo who had the world at his dazzling, dancing feet.

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There are similarities between the two, both are big, powerful goal scoring machines, and while Ronaldo doesn’t quite have the Michael Flatley-esque happy feet, he had more than enough tricks to bamboozle defenders.

Coupled with that, the Brazilian Ronaldo also had the brute strength to bully his way beyond anyone who dared stand in his way – both could finish with either feet and both pretty good in the air.

You can look at all the stats you want, most will point you towards the Portuguese version, and there’s no denying his incredible athleticism and talent, but there was something about Brazilian Ronaldo in full flow.

He was an apex predator - a mean, powerful goal scoring machine the likes of which we’d never really seen before, and in reality we’ve not seen many to compare with since either.

El Fenomeno (The Phenomenon) was an apt name for a man built to be a goal scorer, built to thrill, get bums off seats and do things that other players could only dream of.

Cristiano is incredible, but please let’s not forget about the ‘real Ronaldo’ anytime soon.

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