Brazilian legend Ronaldo almost died a few years ago and saw his career shattered.
Ronaldo is not just the name of the Portuguese prodigy, considered one of the best players in the world since the early 2000s. Ronaldo was also the best striker on the planet in the mid-1990s and 2000s. Brazilian Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, one of the most famous number 9, has had a string of exploits throughout his career, with no less than 350 goals. Barcelona, Inter Milan and especially Real Madrid, Il Fenomeno is also a legend.
His track record is also legendary. Ronaldo won two Ballon d’Ors in 1997 and 2002, but also the FIFA World Cup twice in 1994 and 2002, with in the meantime a failure in the final in 1998. Precisely, this year 98 could have been dramatic for number 9 of the Seleção.
If we all remember the violent clash with Fabien Barthez during the final, Ronaldo could have simply not played this match, because of a serious problem. While some have mentioned a pressure-related seizure before this disastrous final for Brazil, in reality it was not linked to a stress problem but to a heart problem.
Bruno Caru, president of the Italian Society of Sports Cardiology, rubbed shoulders with Ronaldo when he played for Inter Milan. He was able to consult the Brazilian’s medical file, because he collaborated with Dr. Volpi, doctor of Inter Milan. And according to him, “the blood was no longer circulating”.
“Ronaldo was lying on his bed watching a Formula 1 Grand Prix on television. He then bent his head in an unnatural way. The blood was no longer circulating. He had a drop in heart rate and blood pressure . He passed out,” he explained.
Bruno Caru also claimed that French doctors would not have done their job correctly. “By checking the file carefully, once at the hospital, he had 18 beats per minute. This means that at the time of the attack, the heart had stopped beating. So the French doctors were stubborn and are relied on the diagnosis of the epileptic seizure made by Roberto Carlos and not by a doctor.”
Some will say that this probably explains the rather average performance of the Brazilian player during the World Cup final in France, which saw, of course, the Blues win with a clear score of 3-0, thanks to a double of another legend, Zinedine Zidane.
