One of the greatest strikers in football history, Ronaldo Nazario made his senior debut in the sport as a teenager with Cruzeiro in 1993. The next year, following the 1994 World Cup which he won with Brazil, R9, as he would come to be known, moved to Europe, joining PSV Eindhoven and quickly displaying his phenomenal ability on a bigger stage.
Ronaldo spent two years in the Netherlands, helping PSV win the Dutch Cup in his second and final season. Having attracted the attention of some elite clubs on the continent, Barcelona signed Ronaldo in 1996 for what was then a world-record transfer fee to play under the great Sir Bobby Robson.
Despite being just 20 years old when he moved to Catalonia, Ronaldo was regarded as not only one of the best in the world, but as a player who could, with time, reach the bracket of players such as Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Pele.
Though Barca were, and still are, one of the biggest teams in football, Ronaldo spent just one season with the club. In 1997, he set another world-record transfer fee when he moved to Inter Milan, the same year that he became the youngest-ever Ballon d’Or winner. It was across his five years with Inter, however, that injuries started to plague Ronaldo.
An Inter player from 1997 to 2002, Ronaldo made under 100 appearances for the club in all competitions, missing 845 days of action due to injury according to Transfermarkt. When healthy, however, Ronaldo remained one of the best in the world. Having returned to fitness by 2002, his final year at Inter, the Brazilian won his second Ballon d’Or, having guided his country to World Cup glory.
Ronaldo moved from Italy to Spain, joining Real Madrid and spending a further five seasons there, though he won just one La Liga title. R9 returned to Milan in 2007, but played for Inter’s arch-rivals, AC Milan. After a solitary season, Ronaldo moved back to his native Brazil, joining Corinthians and retiring after two years.
A 17-year international for Brazil and two-time World Cup winner, Ronaldo had an incredible career, something that could well have been even better had he not faced such struggles with injury.
Ronaldo Club Career Stats
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Owner of Real Valladolid at the time of writing, the former forward has remained in football since ending his playing days and Ronaldo has shared a number of his opinions. Such was the case when, back in 2016, according to SunSport as per FourFourTwo, he revealed which player he thought looked quite similar to himself.
‘I See Some of Myself In Him For Sure’
Ronaldo full of praise for English forward
The 2015/16 season was Marcus Rashford’s first in senior football. Rashford, who spent the second half of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Aston Villa, enjoyed a breakout term, catching the eye whenever he was given an opportunity to play in the first team. It became very clear that Rashford had the potential to be an incredible attacker.
This is something that Ronaldo evidently observed, as the Brazilian spoke glowingly about the English forward, saying:
“He’s a very good young player. I see some of myself in him for sure - he has courage and he’s fast and is very good with the ball. I think for the strikers they have to be hungry to score and I see that with him. He has an amazing future.”
2025 is Rashford’s 10th year as a senior player and during his loan with Villa, the forward finally rediscovered his form, having struggled for consistency in his latest seasons at Old Trafford. Rashford, who is comfortable as a striker or out wide, is still only 27 years old and in theory, is entering his prime years as a footballer.
An England international since 2016, Rashford has shown that he is absolutely capable of what Ronaldo said he could do. It is clear, though, that the forward needs to play for a team that can allow him consistent minutes on the pitch.
( All stats are fromTransfermarktand are correct as of 25/06/2025 )
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