1997 Ballon d’Or Winner: Ronaldo ‘O Fenômeno’ Nazario: How an All Time Great Won his First Ballon d’Or

A name synonymous with greatness, Ronaldo’s 1997 Ballon d’Or victory was inevitable. Missing out by one point to the uncanny form of Matthias Sammer across 1996, Ronaldo would win his first Ballon d’Or whilst playing for Inter Milan. As is to be expected with Ballon d’Or winners, he had an exceptional year at both club and international levels.

His flair and creativity made him a joy to watch as he embodied the spirit of Brazillian football but his goal scoring ability was second to none, as he not only played entertaining football but delivered on the goal-scoring front consistently. Showcasing remarkable skills, agility, physicality, and goal-scoring ability, he already looked a complete forward at just 21.

Biography

Hailing from Rio de Janeiro, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was a talismanic figure at just 12. In his first season at his local Futsal side, Social Ramos, he would score 166 goals, obviously a record, which included scoring 11 in one game.

Signed by Cruzeiro as a 16-year-old, Ronaldo would shortly make his debut aged, despite his young age.  It’s safe to say, from his first match, he was special, and come the end of his time at the club, he would score 34 goals in 34 games, between 1994 and 1994.

A big move was imminent, and the Dutch purveyors of total football PSV would be the club to tempt him away from his homeland, and boy would it prove to be successful. Selected for the 1994 World Cup, at just 17, he would fail to make any appearances, but he would return from his call-up with the same hunger for the game as before, scoring on his debut against Vitesse. 

He would quickly take both the Dutch and the footballing world by storm, this time scoring 42 in 46 promtting Barcelona to pay 19.5 million Euros for the striker. 

Seasoned world-class players had never seen anything like him. No 18-year-old had ever played with such assuredness, confidence, and innovation before, with teammate Luis Enrique later describing him as “the most spectacular player I’ve ever seen. He did things I’d never seen before. We’re now used to seeing Messi dribble past six players, but not then. Ronaldo was a beast.”

He would only last one full Barcelona season, but during this time at the Catalan giants he would score some of his most memorable goals, frequently making talented defenders look amateur.

His second half of the season at PSV, and opening half of the season at Barcelona made him a favorite for the coveted Ballon d’Or, but an incredibly close vote culminating in defender Matthias Sammer earning the award by just one point would see Ronaldo miss out.

He would still take home the 1996 FIFA World Player of the year aged just 20, becoming the youngest in history to win the award.

The Youngest Ballon d’Or Winner

In 1997 he would leave Barcelona following a contract dispute, signing for Inter Milan who would pay another world record-breaking fee, this paying the buyout clause of 29 million Euros, making him the second player, after Diego Maradona, to break the world transfer record twice.

 In a league famous for its defensive ability and at the time being considered the best league in the world, it would be understandable if the phenomenon needed a bit of time to settle into the less frenetic pace of the Italian game. He had only played in faster-paced leagues up to this point, Futsal, Brazil, The Netherlands, and Spain, all renowned for their faster-paced play.

Naturally, he didn’t break a sweat, rather than adapting to the style of play, defenders had to adapt to him. It would be in this first season that he would earn the Ballon d’Or that some felt he was robbed of the previous year. This time however there was no contest, with the Brazillian a unanimous winner by a landslide.

As he ticked up 222 votes, his next closest rival in second place, Madrid’s Predrag Mijatović, would gather just 68 votes. This was not only the largest margin of victory yet, but also cemented him as the youngest Ballon d’Or winner, at just 21.

A huge factor in this year being ‘the one’ for Ronaldo was his international performances as he led Brazil to a 1997 Copa America title. Even more so then compared to now, international form was integral to voters’ decisions.

He played a crucial role in Brazil’s success, scoring goals and providing assists throughout the tournament and exhibiting his trademark mesmerising ‘Joga Bonito’ style of play.

Goal-Scoring Prowess: Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record in 1997 was exceptional. He scored 25 in his first Serie A season in just 32 appearances and was also riding off the back of the second half of his season at Barcelona.

He took to the Italian game as if he’d been born and raised in Milan, there seemed to be nothing he couldn’t do, no league he wouldn’t work in. 

Following his momentous Ballon d’Or win he would go on to put on a fantastic display in the 98 World Cup, all the way until the final, where following a reported seizure the night before the final, he would understandably not be at his best, his bravery to play on spite of this sadly not translating to results.

Ronaldo Key stats – 1997

1997 Ballon d’Or Top 20: