Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (born 18 September 1976), commonly known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian business owner, president of La Liga club Real Valladolid, and a retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Popularly "dubbed" O Fenômeno ("The Phenomenon"), and also nicknamed R9, he is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, Ronaldo has been the influence for a generation of strikers that have followed. His individual accolades include being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times, and winning two Ballon d'Or awards.

Ronaldo made his international debut for Brazil on 23 March 1994, in a friendly match in Recife against Argentina; his first senior goal for Brazil came on 4 May 1994, in a 3–0 friendly win over Iceland. He went to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States as a 17-year-old, but did not play, as Brazil went on to win the tournament. He stated he was "overjoyed" at the experience. He was then known as "Ronaldinho" ("little Ronaldo" in Portuguese), because Ronaldo Rodrigues de Jesus, his older teammate on the tournament, was also called Ronaldo and nicknamed "Ronaldão" ("big Ronaldo") to further distinguish them.

In the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ronaldo played with the name "Ronaldinho" on his shirt, since centre back Ronaldo Guiaro, two years his senior, was one of his teammates. Brazil went on to win the bronze medal.

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