Phenomenon Short Story

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How does a little boy from a poor Brazilian background find his way into the greatest football stages and marvel the world with his formidable talent? This is the story of Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima. Colloquially known as "The Phenomenon," his amazing talent continues to amaze new football fans today. "The Phenomenon" had a turbulent and eventful career: he went through several difficult phases with numerous problems in the knees that removed him from the fields, surgeries, public scandals, colossal fame and competitive achievement. But all of this was a very foreign reality for the humble boy from Bento Ribeiro. In 1994, a thin and toothy boy conquered Brazil and comparisons with Pelé were inevitable. At age 17, he wore the Brazilian senior…show more content…
He had a poor childhood, although not miserable. The name is a tribute made to doctor Ronaldo Valente, who sought Ms. Sônia at home on September 18, 1976 and rushed her to the hospital Sao Francisco Xavier, in Itaguaí, for childbirth. The doctor became the godfather of the striker, who took too long to be registered. Curiously, Nélio missed the deadline and ended up declaring that his son had been born on September 22--four days after the actual date--to avoid paying a fine in the notary's…show more content…
Ronaldo received an invitation to become a member of the Valqueire Tennis Club. He promptly accepted it, but things didn't quite start as smoothly as one would expect. There was no vacancy in the junior team, so they ended up turning Ronaldo into a goalkeeper. The team was in last place in the Campeonato Carioca. The manager Marquinhos decided, then, to radicalize: knowing the reputation of "Dadado," (Ronaldo's local nickname at the time) the coach decided to put him in the attack instead. Result: Ronaldo scored four goals in a 5 to 4 victory over Vasco, then championship
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