Incredible footage from training camp shows France players discussing how to stop ‘R9’ ahead of 1998 World Cup final

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was a phenomenon of his time. During the 1998 World Cup in France, he was rightly the terror of all defences. A video was leaked to the media of the French national team training to prepare for the star Brazilian before the final match.

Ronaldo was the terror of all defences at the 1998 World Cup in France

Ronaldo Nazário is regarded as one of the best ‘nines’ in football history, giving sleepless nights to the defenders who faced him in his time. At the 1998 World Cup, he was one of the central figures of the tournament and entertained football fans all over the world.

The player who led his team all the way to the final held at the Stade de France, won the award for the best player of the entire championship after the tournament. At the tournament, he particularly impressed with his dominance in the opposition’s penalty area and his own dribbling.

Leaked video shows how France coaches and players are preparing for the Brazilian magician

Ahead of the final duel, France’s coaching staff dedicated special preparation to the Brazilian ‘Phenomenon’. Coach Jacquet wanted to make sure that Ronaldo would not ruin their chances of winning in front of the home crowd.

The leaked video shows Marcel Desailly, Lillian Thuram and Frank Leboeuf discussing how to try and stop Brazil’s lethal cannonballer, who scored 34 goals in all competitions during that season.

The players focus in particular on Ronaldo’s famous crosses, which he used to confuse his opponents. “He did it to me in Milan, ” Desailly, who was playing for AC Milan at the time and the famous Brazilian wore the jersey of rival Inter, described his experience with Ronaldo.

“Whether he went right or left, I couldn’t see the ball at all,” he described Ronaldo’s abilities. “It’s magic, ” he added in amazement.

The aforementioned training session may have been for naught in the end, as the famous Brazilian fainted on the day and may not have played in the match at all. In the end, 30 minutes before the duel, the Brazilian team confirmed his presence in the starting eleven, but he was overshadowed in the final match by his late friend Zinedine Zidane.

France shocked the world with a resounding 3-0 victory and Ronaldo was a mere shadow of that goal scoring machine. But the Brazilian magician made up for it four years later when he once again became the star of the tournament and led his team to the dream gold.

Source: Sport Bible, Twitter