Ronaldo Nazário has spoken about how Romário pulled him into the club in the early hours of the morning to be in the line-up instead

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was a true phenomenon of his time, playing for Barcelona, Real Madrid and both Milan clubs. The former cannonballer and Ballon d’Or winner stopped by former teammate Christian Vieri’s Bobo TV to answer a few questions.

Ronaldo with Vieri at Inter Milan

Inter Milan acquired Christian Vieri in 1999 for £28 million. The club’s then president Massimo Moratti thus acquired an attacking partner for Brazilian Ronaldo. “Unfortunately, because of my injuries, we haven’t played much together, it’s a shame. Vieri only joined Inter to play with me,” Ronaldo joked.

Ronaldo in the Brazilian national team

Ronaldo won the World Cup twice during his career with the national team. The first triumph was in 1994 at a tournament hosted by the USA, where he did not play a minute as a young player.

But he has fond memories of his attacking teammates. He learned a lot from Romário in particular, even though he was tough on his younger teammates. Washing his cleats and carrying coffee was a regular routine.

“In 1997, I was already an important player in the national team. I already had the Ballon d’Or and during training for the Copa América, Romário suddenly said to me: Get ready, we’re going out tonight, don’t worry about anything. He had a ladder ready to climb over the hotel wall and a taxi was waiting for us on the other side.

We came back at 5 a.m. and I was devastated at the training. I understood he did it on purpose to take my position in the base instead of me,” he recalled with a smile of his own about his teammate on offense.

Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar

The phenomenon also spoke about the trio of world football’s current biggest stars. He would love to see Neymar win a major trophy with the Brazilian national team. “In Brazil, he was criticised for his private life,” he said of his compatriot.

However, he admires the current generation of footballers. He especially envies their lifestyle and healthy eating. “Not to mention the number of women we had. Think what we would be like if we had the mentality of Messi or Cristiano,” he mused.

The best striker of our time?

In choosing the best striker of the moment, he chose current Real Madrid cannonballer Karim Benzema. Just behind him, he picked a pair of Bundesliga strikers in the order of Robert Lewandowski in second place, with Erling Haaland close behind.

He was also impressed by the skills of Kylian Mbappé. “I heard he signed a €50 million-a-year contract at Real Madrid. Thinking about it, I guess I played in the wrong era, ” he said with exaggeration about the French marksman.

The Brazilian Ronaldo of the future?

“It could be Endrik. He’s incredibly talented, even though he’s only 15 years old. Let’s see how he will make his way among the seniors,” he believes in the talented Brazilian, who is already being linked with a move to Real Madrid.

The former superstar is still involved in football. Not only is he still in the football media, but he is also co-owner of Spanish side Valladolid and Brazilian side Cruzeiro.

Source: Bobo TV