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Ronaldo gets back on track
Brazilian coach says best is yet to come from star striker
Posted: Sunday June 28, 1998 10:48 AM
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Ronaldo (left) had plenty to smile about after scoring two goals in Brazil's 4-1 win (AP) |
PARIS (AP) -- Just outside the winners' locker room, Brazilian coach
Mario Zagallo ran down his personal honor roll for the team's best
performance yet in the World Cup. Cesar Sampaio? Perfect. Rivaldo?
Sensational. Ronaldo? Pause. "Ronaldo was ... better,"
Zagallo said. "He's still not the Ronaldo we all want to see. He has a lot
more to give, and I'm sure we'll see it in the games we have left."
For any other player, the assessment seems harsh. After all, Ronado had
just scored two goals and barely missed two others to lead his team past Chile 4-1 and
into the Cup quarterfinals. But Ronaldo isn't just any player. He's
"the phenomenon," the most talented striker of a generation, twice voted
FIFA Player of the Year. For him, the bar is higher. Of course,
opponents also expect great things from the 21-year-old striker. Against
Chile, Ronaldo had a hard time keeping his feet against a defense that
barely let him breathe. But he turned it to his advantage when he
collided with goalie Nelson Tapia and French referee Marc Batta whistled a
penalty. Ronaldo took the shot himself for the score. In the second
half, he ranged all over the field, scoring his second goal on a pass from
Cafu and bouncing two shots off the post and the crossbar. "Ronaldo has
the fame. He's the best player in the world, and the marking is always
individual and tough," said Rivaldo. "He had a great game, and with two
goals I'm sure he will be happier." He clearly wasn't happy before,
with just one goal in his first three games. Brazilians wondered what was
wrong, and when there was no clear answer, they made some up.
Ronaldo was hiding a serious knee injury, ran one rumor. Another said he
was depressed because his romance with Brazilian model Suzana Werner was on
the rocks. Denials didn't help, and Ronaldo seemed tense. After
Brazil lost 2-1 to Norway last
week, he complained that teammates weren't getting him the ball enough.
Zagallo had a more prosaic explanation. "A high-profile player like
him has to shake his defender," he said. "He has to move on to the wings,
vary the play. He can't just play up front all the time because he won't
produce." After the game, Ronaldo admitted the coach was right.
"I followed his instructions, and you see the result," he said. "I knew
this drought had to end soon, that at any moment I'd find my rhythm, and
thank God it happened at the best time." While many may envy a
youngster who has won fame, riches and glory at the peak of his profession,
Ronaldo's teammates see the simple kid from Rio's poor north side, whose
talent has thrust him into a global limelight he can never escape.
"The expectations, the demands on him are something crazy," said
Leonardo. "It's amazing how he deals with it. We always try to help him,
but he doesn't need it." For Leonardo, all the superlatives are
justified. "Ronaldo is special," he said. "In the games we have
left, I am sure he will show us all his magic."
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