After 13 months on the sidelines Ronaldo has returned once again as
prolific goalscorer.
Three times during his 16 years as a professional football player
Ronaldo has suffered from a carreer threathening injury – and three
times O Fenômeno (The Phenomenon) has made a gloriuos comeback.
When he left AC Milan in the summer 2008 the three time winner of the
FIFA Player of the Year award didn't seem to be able to recover from his
injury and had no other club to go to. At the age of 31 Ronaldo seemed
to be finished with top level football.
But Ronaldo started to train in Rio de Janeiro with Flamengo during his
recovery from knee surgery, and the club's board of directors said that
the doors were open for him to join. However, on 9 December, Ronaldo
signed a one-year deal with Flamengo's league rival Corinthians in Sao
Paulo.
”The risk is big. I don't know whether I'll play well or badly, but I'm
hopeful it will be well. I would not attempt this challenge if I didn't
know I could play. I only want to prove to myself that I can play,”
Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo happy
Ronaldo played his first match for Corinthians on 4 March 2009, a Copa
do Brasil match against Itumbiara and scored his first goal for
Corinthians on March 8, 2009, in a Campeonato Paulista match against
Palmeiras.
Not only did he help Corinthians win the Campeonato Paulista with 10
goals in 14 games. Two of them in a spectacular way against Santos FC in
the first leg of the final.
”I doubt that there is anyone in the world right now as happy as I am
right now. I can honestly tell you that I am the happiest man on earth.
It has been a long road to recovery and today's title makes everything
that much more special. It feels great. The victory means a lot to me,”
Ronaldo said after the title was secured at the Estadio do Pacaembu in
Sao Paulo.
He was also named Best Player of the championship prompting the press
and the fans to demand him back on the national team. But Ronaldo has
played down these speculations, insisting that recovering from his
injury is the most important thing. However, he has not hidden his
desire to play at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He played at the
2006 World Cup, where he became the highest goalscorer in the history of
the World Cup with his fifteenth goal, surpassing Gerd Müller's previous
record of 14.
