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Before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo redefined the modern era and got embroiled in a decade-long Ballon d’Or arms race in the 2010s, there was another phenomenon who terrorised defenders and brought joy to millions of fans.
After establishing himself in Europe with PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldo Nazario joined Barcelona for a world record fee in 1996, which was broken 12 months later when Inter Milan brought him to the San Siro.
French midfielder Youri Djokaeff was one of the lucky team-mates tasked with feeding Il Fenomeno in Italy and the he believes that even Messi and the Portuguese Ronaldo can’t measure up to the Brazilian.
Djokaeff on Ronaldo and Inter glory
“Within a year [of signing from Paris Saint-Germain] I was already the star at Inter,” Djokaeff recalls to FourFourTwo. “One day, Moratti asked if he could have a word.
“While the rest of the team kept training, we walked around the pitch for about an hour. He told me he had the chance to sign Ronaldo.
“He told me the price [around £25 million]. “That’s cheap,” I said. It was the most expensive transfer in history at the time, but we had to have him on the team. Moratti was nervous – he wasn’t sure if that signing might lead other players to ask for better contracts.
“But for me, it was an opportunity to play alongside the best striker in the world. My first interaction with Ronaldo was great – I helped him settle in, and we clicked from the very first touch of the ball.
“I don’t want to compare him against Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, but Il Fenomeno was the best.
“Very few players in the world have been able to change games on their own – Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, and in the ’90s, definitely Ronaldo.”
For Djorkaeff, who won 82 caps for France, one of the highlights from his Inter spell came when the team won the UEFA Cup in Paris, a month before the 1998 World Cup kicked off.
“It was special,” he admits. “Facing Lazio in the final at the Parc des Princes was incredible. For me, it was home.
“I grew up in PSG’s stadium when my father played there. There’s actually a photo from the day it was inaugurated, published in L’Equipe – my brother and I were on the pitch. They were opening the stadium and looking for kids for a feature story.
“To return there in a European final was thrilling. After the game, we organised a party and I went for a walk along the Champs-Elysees with Moratti. It was 3am, no-one saw us – magical.”
