Ronaldo is a retired Brazilian footballer. Popularly dubbed “the phenomenon,” he is one of only three men to have won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times or more, along with Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi. He also won the Ballon d’Or twice, in 1997 and 2002. At age 17, he was a part of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 FIFA World Cup. At the 1998 World Cup he received the Golden Ball for player of the tournament in helping Brazil reach the final. He won a second World Cup in 2002 where he scored twice in the final, and received the Golden Boot as top goalscorer. Having suffered a string of serious injuries throughout his career, Ronaldo retired from soccer in 2011. He was born on this day in 1976.
