The Brazilian forward Ronaldo was one of Real’s most succesful goalscorers of the modern era. Ronaldo talked about his time in Madrid and the reasons for his eventual departure.
Seen by some as one of football’s greatest ever player, Ronaldo arrived in Madrid in 2002. The player’s transfer from Inter was part of the club’s strategy to bring football glory and marketing dominance. Ronaldo joined the likes of Zidane, Figo and Beckham in what Real referred to as as the Galácticos. It was a team built on superstar players.
Ronaldo scored more than 100 goals for the club and won La Liga twice. However, some would argue that the team underachieved overall. The most talked about team in the world did not win the Champions League, in spite of club expectations. And in 2007, the famous Brazilian striker left the club and joined Italian side AC Milan.
Ronaldo now says that it was never his intention to leave the team. Despite rumors that he may have forced the switch to Milan, Ronaldo says he felt he had no choice. The disagreements with Fabio Capello were the main reason his departure, says former player.
“I didn’t want to leave. I started to have a lot of problems with Capello. If I was 100 grams overweight, he would take me out of the team. I am tolerant, I want to understand other points of view. But with him, I just couldn’t.”
“I understand his position as the manager, but sometimes in football, 100 or 200 grams doesn’t make the difference. It’s about what you actually do, and he didn’t see what I actually did, what I could contribute, as the be all and end all,” Ronaldo tells Fox Sports.
Ronaldo was a highly decorated player. He was part of two of Brazil’s World Cup winning teams, also played the infamous 1998 final and won league titles and international competitions on a club level. Were it not for frequent injuries, Ronaldo could have perhaps achieved even more. When it comes to his namesake at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, he has only positive things to say. In his view the Portugal international deserves to win this year’s Ballon D’or prize ahead of rival Lionel Messi.
“This year, I would choose Cristiano Ronaldo as the winner of the Ballon D’or. For the last two years, he has been decisive. He was key in so many matches in the Champions League, he’s in the final,” Ronaldo complimented Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Both of them are fantastic. I love Messi with the ball at his feet, he scores goals and does all the rest too. But Cristiano’s numbers can’t be ignored. It’s a cruel comparison. Both of them deserve respect.”
