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February 14, 2008, 11:50 am Soccer’s Most Lamentable Knee(s)
By Jeffrey Marcus
Tags: AC Milan, Ronaldo
There is only one way to describe Ronaldo’s brief appearance for AC Milan Wednesday against Livorno: disaster!
The end? AC Milan striker Ronaldo grimaced in pain after collapsing to the ground during a 1-1 tie with Livorno Wednesday. (Antonio Calinni/Associated Press)
The world’s most celebrated striker for the past decade-plus went down in an all-to-familiar heap of agony and pain. Only minutes after replacing Alberto Gilardino in the second half, Ronaldo fell awkwardly after challenging Jose Vidigal for the ball in the air. Marco Amelia, the Livorno goalkeeper, said he heard a terrible pop.
“You can’t understand the noise Ronaldo’s knee made, I heard it though,” Amelia told Sky Sport Italia.
After only a few minutes on the field in a rare appearance for the 31-year-old Brazilian, his season is over and his fabled career may be finished too.
This is the same knee injury (though the other knee) Ronaldo sustained in 1999 and 2000 while playing for Milan’s cross-town rival, Inter, that caused him to miss almost two years during the prime of his career. Here is a look back, in pictures, at the most celebrated and tragic right knee in soccer history:
Ronaldo looked like a shadow of himself against Fabien Barthez, Lilian Thuram and France in the 1998 World Cup final. (Agence-France Presse)
World Cup, 1998 – Controversy and mystery swirled around Ronaldo in the hours before the 1998 World Cup final in France. The most marketed star of the Brazilian team, Ronaldo had scored 4 goals heading in to the championship match against the hosts. But when the Brazilian roster was announced, the star striker was left off, only to be added to the starting lineup just before kickoff. Confusion: he hurt his ankle; he had a stomach ailment; nerves; a seizure and convulsions. Conspiracies: Nike forced the Brazilian federation to play its star; it was gamesmanship. Regardless, a diminished Ronaldo played well below expectations in a disheartening 3-0 defeat to France. It would be some time before he looked like the player he once was.
Ronaldo was helped into a car outside La Salpetriere hospital in Paris following knee surgery in 1999. (Jacques Brinon/Associated Press)
Inter Milan, 1999 — Ronaldo, who had signed for Inter from Barcelona the year before the World Cup, collected himself and regained his form following Brazil’s defeat to France and scored five goals in the Copa America for Brazil. He returned to form for Inter too before rupturing a tendon his right knee in a 6-0 win over Lecce in the fall of 1999, requiring surgery and a four month rehabilitation.
After on 7 minutes on the field in his return from knee surgery, Ronaldo injured his knee for a second time in four months. (Monte Forte/AFP/Ansa)
Inter Milan, 2000 — After rehabilitating his knee following surgery, Ronaldo returned to the Inter lineup but lasted only a few minutes on the field before crumpling in agony, clutching at his recently repaired knee. The superstar’s comeback was cut short and required a second operation. He missed a total of 20 months after the two operations. It was a huge blow for the most celebrated striker of his generation. But Ronaldo managed a tremendous comeback, helping Brazil win the 2002 World Cup in Japan and was named FIFA’s World Player of the Year for a third time. Inter then sold the striker to Real Madrid where he played until January 2007. A much heavier Ronaldo, who had endured a series of niggling injuries, returned to Italy to play for the rossoneri.
By Jeffrey Marcus
Tags: AC Milan, Ronaldo
There is only one way to describe Ronaldo’s brief appearance for AC Milan Wednesday against Livorno: disaster!
The end? AC Milan striker Ronaldo grimaced in pain after collapsing to the ground during a 1-1 tie with Livorno Wednesday. (Antonio Calinni/Associated Press)The world’s most celebrated striker for the past decade-plus went down in an all-to-familiar heap of agony and pain. Only minutes after replacing Alberto Gilardino in the second half, Ronaldo fell awkwardly after challenging Jose Vidigal for the ball in the air. Marco Amelia, the Livorno goalkeeper, said he heard a terrible pop.
“You can’t understand the noise Ronaldo’s knee made, I heard it though,” Amelia told Sky Sport Italia.
After only a few minutes on the field in a rare appearance for the 31-year-old Brazilian, his season is over and his fabled career may be finished too.
This is the same knee injury (though the other knee) Ronaldo sustained in 1999 and 2000 while playing for Milan’s cross-town rival, Inter, that caused him to miss almost two years during the prime of his career. Here is a look back, in pictures, at the most celebrated and tragic right knee in soccer history:
Ronaldo looked like a shadow of himself against Fabien Barthez, Lilian Thuram and France in the 1998 World Cup final. (Agence-France Presse)World Cup, 1998 – Controversy and mystery swirled around Ronaldo in the hours before the 1998 World Cup final in France. The most marketed star of the Brazilian team, Ronaldo had scored 4 goals heading in to the championship match against the hosts. But when the Brazilian roster was announced, the star striker was left off, only to be added to the starting lineup just before kickoff. Confusion: he hurt his ankle; he had a stomach ailment; nerves; a seizure and convulsions. Conspiracies: Nike forced the Brazilian federation to play its star; it was gamesmanship. Regardless, a diminished Ronaldo played well below expectations in a disheartening 3-0 defeat to France. It would be some time before he looked like the player he once was.
Ronaldo was helped into a car outside La Salpetriere hospital in Paris following knee surgery in 1999. (Jacques Brinon/Associated Press)Inter Milan, 1999 — Ronaldo, who had signed for Inter from Barcelona the year before the World Cup, collected himself and regained his form following Brazil’s defeat to France and scored five goals in the Copa America for Brazil. He returned to form for Inter too before rupturing a tendon his right knee in a 6-0 win over Lecce in the fall of 1999, requiring surgery and a four month rehabilitation.
After on 7 minutes on the field in his return from knee surgery, Ronaldo injured his knee for a second time in four months. (Monte Forte/AFP/Ansa)Inter Milan, 2000 — After rehabilitating his knee following surgery, Ronaldo returned to the Inter lineup but lasted only a few minutes on the field before crumpling in agony, clutching at his recently repaired knee. The superstar’s comeback was cut short and required a second operation. He missed a total of 20 months after the two operations. It was a huge blow for the most celebrated striker of his generation. But Ronaldo managed a tremendous comeback, helping Brazil win the 2002 World Cup in Japan and was named FIFA’s World Player of the Year for a third time. Inter then sold the striker to Real Madrid where he played until January 2007. A much heavier Ronaldo, who had endured a series of niggling injuries, returned to Italy to play for the rossoneri.
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