Brazil has produced many soccer legends, and Ronaldo Nazario is certainly one of them. Fans know the striker for his heroics in the FIFA World Cup, especially in the 2002 edition. During his career, there were instances when the striker got criticism for being overweight. But when it came to scoring goals, he was doing it for fun. However, his former teammate has shed light on how the player gets respect in the world compared to that in Brazil.
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Ronaldo currently owns majority stakes in the La Liga club Real Valladolid, and minor stakes in his boyhood club in Brazil, Cruzeiro. The two-time World Cup winner also serves as the President of Real Valladolid.
Brazil legend Kaka thinks Ronaldo gets more respect outside of Brazil
Former AC Milan and Real Madrid star Kaka recently shared his thoughts on his former teammate Ronaldo. They played together in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. Kaka thinks the respect Ronaldo gets in Brazil is different from how the world respects the legendary striker.
Kaka said, ” If you see Ronaldo walking around here, you’ll be like: ‘Wow’, he has something different here. In Brazil, he’s just a fat man walking down the street. Of course, many Brazilians love Ronaldo, I love Ronaldo, but the way he is respected in Brazil and abroad is different, I see more respect for him outside the country than there.”
Kaka made 92 appearances for Brazil between 2002 to 2016, scoring 29 goals. He was part of the FIFA World Cup 2002 winning squad and scored 8 goals in seven matches..
‘The Phenomenon’ is cheering for his country in Qatar
The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner is cheering for Brazil in Qatar. We see him in the stands for every Brazil game with his former teammates, Roberto Carlos, Dunga, Kaka, and Rivaldo. Ronaldo took some time and visited the training camp, where he learned about the Pigeon celebration from Richarlison.
As #CopaDoMundoFIFA de @Ronaldo
1994 🏆
1998 ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️
2002 🏆 ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️
2006 ⚽️ ⚽️ ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/qi7iQS94FE
— Copa do Mundo FIFA 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_pt) December 8, 2022
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After the Neymar injury, the legendary striker wrote an open letter to the player to come back stronger. He praised Neymar for what he has done so far in his career. After the initial injury scare, Neymar was back in the starting lineup for the round of 16 game against South Korea.
The last time Brazil won the World Cup was in 2002 when Ronaldo scored a brace in the final against Germany. In 2006 and 2010, the team didn’t go past the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, in 2014, Brazil suffered an embarrassing loss to the Germans in the semi-final. They again failed to go past the quarterfinals in 2018. Today Brazil suffered the same fate against Croatia in the quarterfinals.
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Let us know your thoughts on the career of Ronaldo and the statement of Kaka. Will Brazil be the World Champions this time around?