Ronaldo, the Phenomenon: From brilliant player to successful businessman

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, popularly known as Ronaldo the 'Phenomenon,' is a Brazilian businessman and former soccer player. In fact, he has been widely recognized as one of the greatest football players of all time.

Born in 1976 in Rio de Janeiro, Ronaldo spent his childhood in the neighborhood of Bento Ribeiro, on the outskirts of the city. He came from a humble family and started playing football at an early age.

Ronaldo's first club, São Cristovão, was close to where he lived, in the north of Rio de Janeiro. Nowadays, its stadium bears the star's name: Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima.

In 1993, Jairzinho, a player who helped Brazil win the 1970 World Cup, helped Ronaldo transfer from his local team to Cruzeiro, a team from Minas Gerais. The player debuted at just 16 years old.

In the Minas Gerais team, Ronaldo began to draw attention. He was the absolute highlight of the 1993 Brazilian championship and became the top scorer of the regional league. Recognizing his talent, European clubs began making their offers and Ronaldo was sold to PSV for 6 million dollars.

At the Dutch club, Ronaldo played from 1994 to 1996. These two brilliant seasons made him one of the most coveted players on the planet.

When Brazil won the World Cup for the fourth time in 1994, Ronaldo was already wearing the shirt of the Brazilian team, even though he was still on the bench.

After his success in Holland, Ronaldo joined FC Barcelona in 1996. In addition to having his best season in terms of goals, he won the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and the European Cup. He even became the Best Player in the World as announced by FIFA.

Even though he was expected to continue at FC Barcelona, the Italian club Inter offered a lot of money for the Brazilian player. 32 million dollars for the termination of his Barcelona contract was an offer that no one could refuse. In July 1997, Ronaldo debuted for the Italian team.

In the same year, he was elected, for the second time, the Best Player in the World. His performance on the field was so impressive that he came to be known as Ronaldo The Phenomenon!

Ronaldo was in great shape and his timing was extraordinary, but for some reason, Brazil could not beat France in the 1998 World Cup final. Later, it would become known that Ronaldo had suffered seizures during the tournament.

Former Brazilian striker Edmundo told the ESPN Intelligence podcast: "I saw Ronaldo having the seizure and I went screaming through the hallways to ask for help." It happened on the day before the World Cup final and left the entire team in shock. France beat Brazil the next day 3-0 and became the world champion for the first time.

Back in Italy, Ronaldo's numbers at Inter showed that he was in excellent shape: 59 goals in 99 games from 1997 to 2002. But it was also at this club that the footballer suffered his worst injuries.

On April 12, 2000, Ronaldo shocked the world in one of the most painful scenes in football. His right knee caved out of place, and the injury would keep him off the field for over a year.

After a long treatment, Ronaldo got back in shape and shone at the 2002 World Cup in Japan. Together with his Brazilian teammates, he lifted the cup of the country's fifth championship!

In August 2002, Ronaldo said goodbye to Inter Milan and went to Real Madrid, Spain, where he stayed for 5 seasons. The team also had Luís Figo, Zinédine Zidane, Raúl and Roberto Carlos on the payroll.

With the best players in the world on the field, Real Madrid won the 2002 Intercontinental Cup, the Supercopa, and the Spanish Championship. Ronaldo stood out again. For the third time, he was elected the Best Player in the World.

Ronaldo signed up with AC Milan for two seasons, 2007 and 2008. His stint there was short due to new injuries, causing him to be on the bench for all but 20 matches.

Before ending his career, Ronaldo returned to play for a Brazilian team, Corinthians, in 2009. Despite being out of shape, he surprised the fans and helped the club win the Copa do Brasil and the Campeonato Paulista. After such a great upset in his home country, the Phenomenon announced his retirement in 2011.

Ronaldo stopped playing football but continued to make money. He is part of the select list of athletes who know how to invest their money in successful businesses.

As a businessman in the sports world, Ronaldo acquired 90% of Cruzeiro's shares, for a total of R$ 400 million ($79,000,000), in December 2021. More than two decades after starting his career at the Minas Gerais club, the former player now became its main shareholder.

The Cruzeiro team had experienced difficulties and was unable to get out of the B series of the Brazilian Championship for three seasons (2020-2022). For that reason, Ronaldo's involvement sparked hope in the fans that the team would return to the A series.

As it turns out, the team has had a good season since the purchase and returns to the A series in 2023. Ronaldo continues to be a Phenomenon while also investing his money wisely.

Real Valladolid, a club in the Spanish Second Division, is also in the hands of Ronaldo. The purchase took place in 2018 when the businessman bought 51% of the shares for 30 million dollars.

In addition, he is the co-owner of the sports and entertainment marketing agency Octagon Brasil. It's a media and content startup that produces movies, series, sports broadcasts, and digital formats.

Octagon is part of the ODDZ Network holding, whose majority partner is Ronaldo himself. In October 2022, the production company released a documentary about Ronaldo's career.

Image: DAZN

The film focuses especially on the period between 1998 and 2002, with revelations about the 1998 World Cup final.

In the photo, Ronaldo poses with his ex-wife, Milene Domingues, and their son, Ronald.

But it doesn't stop there! Founded by Ronaldo, the start-up R9 offers other players the Wealth & Financial Management services that were fundamental in his own career.

Ronaldo's first wife was Milene Domingues (1999 to 2003). They had one son, Ronald Nazário Lima. Born in 2000, the young Ronald now works as a DJ.

In the photo, Ronaldo and Milene at their wedding in Rio de Janeiro in 1999.

Two years after separating from Milene, Ronaldo married the Brazilian presenter and model Daniela Cicarelli in February 2005. The relationship ended 3 months later, in May of the same year.

In 2005, Alexander Nazário de Lima was born as a result of an affair between Ronaldo and beautician Michele Umezu. His paternity was confirmed in a DNA test, carried out in 2009 when the boy was 5 years old.

In 2008, the Phenomenon remarried; this time with Maria Beatriz Antony who gave him two daughters: Maria Sofia and Maria Alice Nazário de Lima. However, in 2012, the couple announced their separation.

In 2015, Ronaldo began to share his life with model and businesswoman Celina Locks. She has a great relationship with her stepchildren: "They will always be my babies," she said in an interview with Quem magazine.

After a legendary trajectory in football, including the impressive overcoming of a knee injury, Ronaldo has proved himself extremely effective in the business world. A true idol with millions of fans worldwide!