The soccer world is set to lose one of its most illustrious active members today when Brazilian legend Ronaldo calls it quits on an 18-year career.
The 34-year-old striker told a Brazilian newspaper that he was unable to maintain his fitness and that he is retiring. During his club career, Ronaldo played at Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan before wrapping up at Corinthians in his native country. He is one of two players to have won three FIFA Player of the Year awards, doing so in 1996, 1997 and 2002. He won two World Cups with Brazil (1994, 2002), and he leaves the international game as the leading scorer in World Cup history with 15 goals.
Since arriving at Corinthians in 2009, Ronaldo has struggled to find form and drew ire from fans for his visible weight gain. He was expected to finish out the season, but the club's shock exit from Copa Libertadores earlier this month sped up the decision. Ronaldo is expected to announce his retirement at a press conference this afternoon.
Here are a couple of compilation videos highlighting some of Ronaldo's greatest moments:
RONALDO HIGHLIGHTS
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Where do you rank Ronaldo among the all-time soccer greats? What is your favorite Ronaldo moment?
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