Year Zero: The making of Ronaldo (Barcelona, 1996/97)

Ronaldo Barcelona

Between 1997 and his retirement in 2011, Ronaldo scored 207 goals in 365 games, won three league titles, a UEFA Cup, a European Golden Boot, FIFA World Player of the Year twice, the Ballon d'Or twice and the player of the season award in two countries. He also won two Copas America, the World Cup Golden Boot and the World Cup itself, scoring all of Brazil's three goals in the 2002 semi-final and final. That alone represents a career in the top 0.00000001%.

And yet, despite this laundry list of trophies, awards and accolades, Ronaldo's greatest season – the one that has lodged in the consciousness of a generation as perhaps the finest individual campaign of all time – was one in which he didn't win the league, fell out with the board, alienated his fans and didn't even pick up the player of the year award at his club.

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