By Tony Becca, - On The Boundary THE 2002 World Cup of football was an exciting affair, it has left behind many memories, and while a few of those who were considered great were exposed as mere mortals, a few who were relatively unknown burst onto the scene and became great.
One who was exposed was Luis Figo of Portugal, another was David Beckham of England, and among those who crashed the party was Ronaldinho - the long-haired maestro from Brazil.
A gifted player, Ronaldinho dazzled the world with his amazing skill, for a long time to come, football fans will be talking about his brilliant dribble and his wonderful free-kick that destroyed England in the quarter-finals, and to many he was the toast of the tournament.
The one who deserves the cheers, however, is Ronaldo.
A Brazilian like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo scored eight goals - including the two that handed his team a 2-0 victory over Germany in the final, that is a fantastic achievement, and remembering his disappointing performance four years ago in France, that is why he deserves the cheers.
Going into the 1998 tournament at age 21, Ronaldo, two-time winner of the World Footballer of the Year award, was rated the best player in the world, mainly because of his goal-scoring skills, Brazil were favourites to win the World Cup, and after making it to the final, they were surprised and beaten by France.
In one of the biggest disappointments in the history of the tournament, Ronald was a flop, and although it was later discovered that he had suffered a fit only hours before the game, not many, certainly in football crazy Brazil, were willing to excuse him.
In fact, many were the insinuations that the "golden boy" of Brazilian football had choked on the big day.
A few months after the World Cup, Ronaldo suffered an injury to his knee, but for a few minutes here and there, he was out of action for more than two years, and up to a few months ago his future was in doubt - so much so that there was talk that Inter Milan, his Italian club, was under pressure from their supporters to trade him.
As far as Brazil were concerned, there was also doubt that he was fit enough to play in the World Cup, and many of his countrymen, particularly fans of the great but ageing Romario, criticised his selection.
Although the marksman was not at his best, although he muffed some wonderful opportunities to score - including two or three in the final, Ronaldo played in all of Brazil's matches, he contributed as much as any and more than many to his team's victory, and in the process demonstrated his class.
Not many players, regardless of their talent, have comeback from such adversities, by doing so he has set a wonderful example for others, not only in sport, to follow, and for that he should be serenaded.
Ronaldo's dream was to play football again, to run again and to score again, he dedicated himself to do so, and he has done so. Hopefully he will continue to play, to score more goals, to enrich the game with his skills, and as far as man's ability to achieve is concerned, to set other examples.
