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After more than a year out, Brazilian superstar Ronaldo returned to the field for Corinthians and scored his first goal in only his second appearance for the side, in an effort to return to the national side in time for the 2010 World Cup.
The 32-year-old forward came onto the field in the 63rd minute in the Paulista league match against Palmeiras, replacing Argentine defender Sergio Escudero, in an attempt to turn around the 1-0 deficit.
After the 10-man Palmeiras conceded a corner with a rushed clearance in the 91st minute, Ronaldo headed in the equaliser from Douglas’ long ball to the far corner of the goal square, catching goalkeeper Bruno off his mark.
The much-needed goal set the crowd alight, with fans rushing to the fence to celebrate with Ronaldo, who has been a crowd favourite since his signing in December, despite not being fit enough to play until last Thursday’s 2-0 win over Itumbiara in the Copa do Brasil.
Coming onto the field in the 78th minute, and while he was not fully fit for his goalless first appearance for the club, he displayed some of the flair that proved he hasn’t entirely lost his touch since his season-ending and career-threatening injury, last year.
Ronaldo ruptured a knee ligament while playing for A.C. Milan in February 2008, leaving him out for the rest of the season and being released from his contract soon after.
During his recovery, the striker returned to Brazil and trained with Flamengo and, despite having a love for the club who were happy to welcome him with open arms, signed a one-year deal with São Paulo state club, Corinthians in December.
Ronaldo, known by fellow Brazilians as O Fenômeno (The Phenomenon), has several cabinets worth of trophies to his name, including three FIFA World Player of the Year awards, two World Cups, two Ballons d’Or, and multiple golden boot awards over multiple leagues and tournaments, including the title of the all-time leading goal scorer for the FIFA World Cup.
Having scored the goal after only 52 minutes of game time with Corinthians, succeeding more than a year without any match time, he can back up the validity of his aim to make the Brazilian national team in time for the 2010 World Cup, hosted by South Africa.
With 8 more rounds remaining in the last 8 months of CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, Brazil are currently in second place, trailing Paraguay by 6 points.
Corinthians are second in Paulista A1, three points behind Palmeiras, and three points ahead of São Paulo and Santos F.C.
They have qualified to the next stage of Copa do Brasil with a 2-0 win against Itumbiara, receiving an automatic bye for their first round second-leg.
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