Playing with Ronaldo, Il Fenomeno, In Italy: “There’s no level. He’s Different”

Serie A has been blessed with the presence of some of the world’s greatest stars down the years. In fact, it’s probably quicker to list world beaters who haven’t graced Italy’s top flight.

Juventus fans have seen Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo don the black and white stripes, AC Milan have been home to Brazilian royalty in the form of Kaka, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho, while Inter have welcomed German giants in the form of Lothar Matthaus and Matthias Summer.

All have been recognised as the world’s greatest player at a point in their career, each lifting the Ballon d’Or trophy. Some were crowned while playing in Italy, others before their arrival, or after their departure. Either way, it appears almost inevitable that the game’s greatest talents pass through the peninsula at one point or another. In fact, out of every Ballon d’Or winner since 1980, just six have failed to make an appearance in Serie A.

Those that did arrived in varying states. Some were in their pomp, such as Andriy Shevchenko and Pavel Nedved. Some, such as Hristo Stoichkov, had their best years ahead of them. Others, such as Luis Figo and Rivaldo arrived with their powers waning, only offering glimpses of their talent.

There is one arrival, however, that stands out above the rest.

Ronaldo had already made his mark as part of Bobby Robson’s Barcelona team, and was earmarked as the best striker on the planet before signing for Inter in 1997. Having already broken the world transfer record once after leaving PSV for the Nou Camp, he did so again – arriving in Italy for £19.5million.

At San Siro, his stature only grew. He joined a club whose supporters worshipped him – 4,000 of them turned up to his unveiling – and in the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium he was handed the perfect stage to showcase his talents.

“I remember the first game when I went to Inter. It was Inter against Verona, and Ronaldo was there. We played at 3pm,” his former teammate Christian Vieri said at a Q&A at a Serie A event in London with One Football earlier this year.

“At 1:30pm, we arrived at the stadium, we’re in the dressing room. You go outside the dressing room, you go five metres, there’s a door, and then there’s a window. 

“I go there, and I could hear people singing. I was like, what are they singing? It’s only 1:30pm. 

“I opened the window, everyone was singing – one and a half hours before the game. There was 60,000 people signing “Ronaldo Il Fenomeno”. It was incredible.”

Ronaldo was awarded the Ballon d’Or on 23rd December 1997. By then he had already made a flying start to life in Italy. He would go on to be named Serie A’s Player of the Season after notching 25 goals. He would score 34 in all competitions.

That included a number of memorable strikes in the Nerazzurri’s UEFA Cup run, as they lifted the trophy after a 3-0 victory over domestic rivals Lazio.

Some of his performances in that years competition have forever been associated with the Brazilian at the peak of his powers, most notable a spectacular performance in dire conditions during the second-leg of their semi-final away to Spartak Moscow.

Defending a 2-1 lead from the first-leg in Italy, Inter fond themselves a goal behind and on their way out.

On a pitch little better than a quagmire, Ronaldo made the most of a bobbling ball in the box to level, before his true ability shone through. His winning strike saw him combine his skill and composure to swap passes with teammates and round the goalkeeper, seemingly taking the state of the pitch out of the equation as he cemented his side’s place in the final.

It was a goal that truly showed off his quality.

“A little bit more than shockingly good,” Vieri said when asked about Ronaldo’s ability. “I’ve never seen something like that in my life.

“Other players in the world,”[Vieri lifts his hand high above his head] and then you have him.

 “He was just different. It’s hard to explain. I played with the biggest players in the world. But what you would see in training.” 

“One thing’s a game, but in training, the things he would do is just like… You didn’t even believe that these things exist.

“By far [he’s the best I played with]. There’s no level. He’s different. Different during the day, during the night, too!” 

There is a tinge of regret that Ronaldo’s time in Italian football didn’t prosper more trophies for Il Fenomeno and his team. In fact, Ronaldo’s career at large produced a disappointingly sparse trophy collection, with one La Liga title the only triumph of note following his move to Real Madrid.

In truth, he didn’t need trophies to let the world know how good he was. His ability – phenomenal ability – made sure of that.

Watch our exclusive interview with Christian Vieri: