Ronaldo Fenomeno!
We recently headed to the South of France for a private signing session with one of the greatest players of all time – Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima!
Imagine if you created a player with the best attributes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo how good he would be; well you don’t need to imagine because that player existed in Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima. Nicknamed O Fenomeno (The Phenomenon) Ronaldo had the skills and footballing intelligence of Messi with the speed, power and finishing ability of Cristiano.
Ronaldo moved to PSV Eindhoven after the 1994 World Cup and scored 54 goals in just 58 games before a world record transfer to Barcelona in 1996. He only played one season for Barcelona, scoring 47 goals in 49 games and finished the season with the winning goal in the 1997 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final. The iconic shirt that he wore to score in that game has been remade by FC Barcelona and is available in limited numbers signed by Ronaldo. If you want to put a smile on your face check out his stunning individual goal on Youtube against Compostela that season with Sir Bobby Robson’s stunned reaction…
He won the Ballon d’Or that season and headed into the 1998 World Cup as the best player in the world and seemed certain to deliver another World Cup for Brazil. His four goals delivered the Selecao to the World Cup final but a seizure on the morning of the game limited his ability to impact the match and future team mate and footballing legend Zinedine Zidane lifted France to the title. Serious knee injuries hampered his career between 1999 and 2002 and he was the last player selected by Brazilian coach Scolari for the 2002 World Cup.
The 2002 World Cup was a story of redemption and triumph for Ronaldo as he finished top goalscorer, was voted the best player and scored both goals in the final against Germany. In the final he tied Pele’s record of 12 career World Cup goals. He would play in the 2006 World Cup and score 3 goals to become the all-time World Cup Finals leading goalscorer. His World Cup career would end with defeat against a Zidane inspired France in the quarter-finals. He ended his Brazil career with 62 goals in 98 appearances. You can check out a selection of original and modern Brazil shirts signed by Ronaldo here.
After the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo became a Galactico, joining Zidane, Figo and Roberto Carlos at Real Madrid . He would score over 100 goals during his time in Madrid and won La Liga in his debut season. The following season he won the Pichichi Trophy as the top scorer in La Liga for the second time. If you want to put another smile on your face watch his incredible hat-trick against Manchester United in the Champions League in 2003. Ronaldo signed a small number of classic shirts and a modern Los Blancos jersey at the private signing session.
Ronaldo was the star of numerous Nike campaigns during his career, including our own personal favourite: this iconic Brazilian airport advert in 1998. We sourced a very limited number of the legendary original Mercurial Vapor’s from his playing days for him to sign, these will not be around for long so grab a pair while you can!
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima signed exclusively for Exclusive Memorabilia in Cannes on the 19th June 2024.
Shop the full collection of authentic signed shirts, photos and boots here.
