Listening to Ronaldo
Here is what Ronaldo talks about himself:
| Do you go to school? |
| Every time I
went away I was deceiving my mum. I'd tell her I was going to school but I'd be out on the
street playing football. I always had a ball on my feet.
|
| What do you feel when being asked for autograph? |
| It's a pleasure. I don't want my fans to have the same disappointment as me when I was refused by some players to sign my notebook when I was young. |
| Scoring? |
| It is everything to me. I love to score goals after passing all the defenders as well as the keeper. this is not my speciality, but my habit. |
| What about love? |
| I think I am able to distinguish between those who love me and those who love my money. |
| Then, Susana is... |
| I don't like to talk so much about my private life. but she is a fundamental part of my life. |
| What is your idol? |
| Zico is my idol. I am trying to copy everything from him. But soonly I have discovered my own style. Senna was a national hero to all brazilians. I was shocked when I know about his death. |
| Would Romario be one? |
| He is the best finisher in the world. I don't like to be compared with him. He have got all the things I don't get. I still have a lot to learn and go. for e.g., my heading skill. |
| What about Pele? |
| Pele is the greatest player in football history, and there would only be one Pele in the world. It's not right to compare Pele with me. Players from different time have different conditions. |
| Talk about PSV |
| It is a good club. especially for a Brazilian to start his career in Europa. |
| and Barcelona, |
| I like
Barcelona, both the club and the city. Barcelona is the best club in the world, but
something, included money, forced me to leave.
¡@ ¡@ ¡@ ¡@ ¡@ Ronaldo's home in Barcelona, surrounded by some young fans. |
| What do you feel of being rich? |
| I have been
poor and money doesn't make any importance to me. I won't let all the money and glory go
to my head. Fame came so quickly and early. It is a pressure to maintain it. Well, I've get used to it. I enjoy the applauding and appreciation of my fans. |
| The world cup in France |
| I can't stop thinking about the world cup. It's my dream to help Brazil to retain the trophy. and I want to be a champion on the pitch. |
| During each game |
| I never thought about draw or lose before each game. I always think about winning the match, whatever the color of my shirt. I play by instinct, and my instinct is to goal. I will not do any other things that not related to it. |
| Figure and fees |
| It's the law of the market, and I am only a product. I remembered when I arrived at Barcelona, everyone was criticised for my high salary. But now many players like Raul in Spain get even more than me. |
| Is life in Inter and Italy good? |
| I want to link my whole career with one team like the other great players. I'd like to play a big part in the club's history. Last year people said I would find hard in spain, but I still went on to win a Cup-winners Cup, the Spanish cup and became leading goalscorer. In Italy, defenders mark tighter and they tend to be faster but in the end I'll put it off.With Zamorano keeping the no.9 shirt, I wear the no. 10 that all great players wore, including my idol, Zico.Djorkaeff is a great player and we're going to do well together. |
| Are you ambitious? |
| Yes, I am. I don't want to be a 5-minutes wonder. |
| What is your most disappointed thing? |
| It is when Flamengo turned me down. When they decided to drop me from the team, they didn't even give me the money for the bus home. |
| Your earrings |
| I think it is cool. It is my decision. |
| Your childhood |
| It's amazing. It is like yesterday when I was still watching the stars of Brazilian football on tv, and I am one of them now. I miss my childhood. I left my family at 15 and then left Brazil for Holland when I was 17. |
| Being the Fifa best player |
| I don't consider myself as the best player in the world. i'm not obsessed with individual titles. I'm much more interested in being part of a team which wins trophies. |
| Is it good or bad for players to play for clubs outside his country? |
| It's good for both the player and his country. There is nothing Brazilian players can gain technically when they come to europe. But they do gain added value because, whereas every Brazilian player knows how to go forward, it's only in europe that they learn how to defend properly so that they develop into all-round players. |
| How will Brazil 1998 differ from 1994? |
| The team in 1994 played very well !! The new team, under Zagallo, plays in a similar way but with a little more emphasis on attack. I think we can score more goals, and I hope, of course, I can too. I am not worrying about who will play alongside me. I only concern about how to keep my place in the team. No one could make sure whether he would be in the team as we have got so many good players. |
| ...and that you have already spent 1 entire wcup sitting on the bench... |
| Yes, but it was also a valuable experience. And we had won friendship among ourselves. Which is important for winning games. |
| To follow Pele is easy, isn't it - you just win the wcup 3 times? |
| It's a big act to follow. Italy, France, Spain, England and Germany are all outstanding teams. |
| Which team is the biggest danger? |
| Argentina could surprise a lot of people and the Africans are catching everyone else up physically and technically. But i think France would be the most dangerous opponents. Djorkaeff, Thuram, Zidane, Deschamps are all very outstanding. Well, I don't think we will give anyone a chance. But if we do lose then we just pack our bags, go home and start to build all over again. |
| Who do you think might be the most outstanding player at the wcup finals, instead of you? |
| Raul and Mijatovic of Real Madrid, and Djorkaeff. |
| How do you cope with the relentless pressure of games? |
| I'd rather play lots of matches than have to do a lot of training in order to keep feeling sharp. And fortunately I don't need much motivation to keep wanting to win more competitions. I don't get tired of success! One month's holiday would be nice but it is impossible. |
| Apart from the financial side, was coming to Italy the right decision? |
| Yes, I like playing in Italy. it was a challenge I wanted since very early in my career. It's much more difficult than Spain. But my team-mates have been very friendly and helpful. In Spain the tactical options are different. there's much more space for players, which makes it easier. But I'm happy here. I don't think of moving again for a long time. I want to make history with Inter just as I had hoped to make it for Barcelona. |
| Anything you want along the way? |
| I want to still be playing when the criminal tackle from behind is banned. Look at all those who have to stop their careers early because of injuries from this tackle. The referees need to be tough. if that means a lot of free kicks, then that's the price of cleaning up the game. What I would really prefer would be 2 referees per match - 1 in each half of the pitch so that they could get much closer to the play and be in a much better position to get to grips with foul play. |
Ronaldo & his friends