- Ronaldo burst on to the scene in the early 1990s and blossomed into a world-beater
- Brazilian superstar remains one of the greatest strikers of all time
- Injuries prevented Ronaldo from adding to his impressive Ballon d'Or collection
Few monikers are as accurate as Ronaldo's. The Brazilian superstar was swiftly dubbed 'The Phenomenon' and, well, that's exactly what he was.
After dazzling in his homeland, Ronaldo took his genius, athleticism and sharpshooting to Europe for the peak of his career. He left a legacy few others have matched or surpassed, with injuries arguably the only thing preventing the centre-forward from becoming the greatest of all time.
While Ronaldo's career was not as trophy-laden as one might expect, O Fenomeno claimed his fair share of individual prizes. For both his performances on the international stage with Brazil and at club level with a handful of Europe's elite sides, Ronaldo was revered for his magic across the world.
Let's take a deep dive into Ronaldo's history with the most prestigious individual prize on the market - the Ballon d'Or.
How many times has Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or?
Ronaldo is one of a select group of individuals who have won the Ballon d'Or on more than one occasion. The striker claimed the prize twice over the course of his illustrious career and became the youngest recipient of the award - a record he still holds today - following his first triumph in 1997.
Having astounded during his solo season with Barcelona in 1996/97, Ronaldo then solidified his place as the rightful victor of the Ballon d'Or following his move to Inter. He had finished his time with the Catalan giants by scooping the Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and took no time settling in Italy. He saw off Predrag Mijatovic and Zinedine Zidane to win the award by a landslide.
Ronaldo's second crown came five years later in 2002 after a third-placed finish in 1998. The superstar made the move to Real Madrid from Inter halfway through the year of his triumph but it was his displays at the 2002 FIFA World Cup that cemented his victory.
Brazil won the tournament co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, winning every single one of their matches across the competition. Ronaldo finished up with the Golden Boot after scoring a remarkable eight times, including two in the final against Germany that all but secured his spot as the world's best for a second time.
How Ronaldo could have won a third Ballon d'Or
Ronaldo became the youngest winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1997 but could have claimed his maiden victory even earlier. Having moved to PSV Eindhoven from Cruzeiro in 1994, the forward then made the move to Barcelona in 1996.
As mentioned, he only featured at Camp Nou for one season, but he made an enormous impact. Having already won the KNVB Cup with PSV earlier that year, Ronaldo made a lightning fast start to life in Catalonia. By the time 1997 rolled around, he had already scored 17 goals for his new club, a tally he would take to 47 in all competitions come the end of the season.
Ronaldo was already widely considered the world's best striker and was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1996. However, while that particular award has since been subsumed by the Ballon d'Or, it was a completely different accolade until 2010.
In the actual Ballon d'Or vote in 1996, Ronaldo would only finish runner-up, controversially failing to topple Borussia Dortmund's Matthias Sammer after he won the Bundesliga and the European Championship with Germany that year. Ronaldo finished behind Sammer by a single point despite the fact that the latter finished fourth in the FIFA Best Player of the Year award.
To this day, many still believe that Ronaldo was robbed of a first Ballon d'Or in 1996, a prize that would have seen him end his career with three total triumphs - the same number as Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.
