|
Ronaldo Returns
Four years on, the memory of his catatonic performance in the final of the 1998 Cup still haunts Ronaldo. Last week, the star striker had to deny a report in a Brazilian magazine that he was pumped full of painkillers to make the starting lineup. "It is time to close this chapter of the past and think only of the future," he pleaded. The mystery surrounding what exactly happened to make him such a forlorn figure in the title-decider against France may never go away, but Brazilians will consider closing that chapter if he helps the national team take the trophy in Korea/Japan 2002. For the first time in years it looks as if that could happen. Out for most of the past two years with knee injuries, Ronaldo returned to the Inter Milan team in December and showed glimpses of the form that made him FIFA's Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997. The 25-year-old scored once against Brescia and then bagged a brace against Verona, the second a vintage Ronaldo strike: a diagonal charge past one defender, rounding the keeper and then a powerful shot into the empty net. Ronaldo and his fans want to put the nightmare of '98 behind them. If last month's form is anything to go by, sweet dreams lie ahead. |
