2002 Ballon d’Or Winner: Ronaldo’s Redemption

Ronaldo’s 2002 Ballon d’Or win represented more than just the success of a player within a single calendar year.

It was a commemoration of his five-year journey, battling ridiculous odds and adversity to once again reach the game’s pinnacle.

2002 was Ronaldo’s Redemption.

A Long Hard Road

When 21-year old Ronaldo won the 1997 Ballon d’Or, no-one could have envisioned the struggle and heartbreak he would endure to re-claim the prize a full five seasons later.

In 1997, the Brazilian had experienced the year of his life. After moving to Barcelona from Dutch club PSV, he enjoyed a momentous 1996/97 campaign, scoring 47 goals in 49 appearances and leading the Spanish side to Cup Winners Cup glory.

Following a move to Inter Milan, where he continued his sparkling goal-scoring form, Ronaldo went to the 1998 World cup beaming with confidence and his country having a real shot at the global title.

Yet he would famously suffer a ‘stress-related breakdown’ just before the final itself and didn’t play a single minute. Ultimately, Brazil lost the final 3-0 to host nation France.

The next three seasons were nothing short of a nightmare. His club form dipped and in late 1999 Ronaldo damaged knee ligaments. Only months later in April 2000 – on what was supposed to be a comeback – he ruptured knee tendons to the point that they ‘exploded.’

Ronaldo missed the entirety of the 2000/01 season and the following campaign managed to play just 16 games and score a mere seven goals. But to the surprise of many, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari selected Ronaldo to be part of his 2002 World Cup.

Would the risk backfire spectacularly or prove to be an inspired decision?

The World At His Feet

Logic dictated that Ronaldo should never have been part of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup squad at all. He had barely kicked a ball competitively, having failed to feature in any of his country’s qualifying matches and was still very much deemed to be in the recovery stage.

“Without Ronaldo, Brazil were a shambles, fortunate even to get to the tournament.” said Journalist Tim Vickery. “With him, it was a different story.”

Miraculously, Ronaldo scored against every opponent in the tournament except during the quarter-finals against England. He hit the match-winner against Turkey in the semi-final with the winning goal, a toe-poke finish with little back-lift while on the run.

In the final against Germany, Ronaldo scored twice as Brazil won 2–0 with the forward equalling Pelé’s record of 12 career World Cup goals. He also received the Golden Boot as the competition’s top scorer with eight goals.

“This gives hope to everyone who is injured.” said Gérard Saillant, the French surgeon who operated on Ronaldo’s knee. “Even those who aren’t sportsmen, to see that by fighting you can make it. He’s back to where he was; it’s hugely satisfying and I am very moved.”

Ronaldo received a Sports Award for Comeback of the Year and even dedicated his third FIFA World Player of the Year award to the medical team which helped him recover.

With his redemption complete and five years of horrific memories behind him, Ronaldo could finally look to the future, moving to Real Madrid in the summer immediately after the World Cup.

His spell at the Bernabeu was a success. In four full seasons in Spain he played 177 times and scored 104 goals – winning a La Liga title and Supercopa de España in 2003.

Ronaldo finally retired in 2011 having scored a total of 352 goals in 518 games, remembered as one of the greatest strikers in history and perhaps its finest comeback story.

2002 Ballon d’Or Top 20

Trivia

• Often overlooked is Ronaldo’s lesser known 1995/96 season at PSV Eindhoven when he scored an incredible 54 times in just 57 appearances.
• Roberto Carlos was one of the highest scoring defenders of 2002 – netting seven goals during the calendar year.
• Oliver Khan won 15 caps for Germany in 2002 – the most appearances he achieved in a calendar year throughout the entirety of his career.