1994 and 2002 World Cup winner, Ronaldo De Lima has expressed his excitement to be named among the first team of Ballon d’Or Dream Team.
The Brazilian legend is among the three forwards that include Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the first team list.
He took to his social media page to appreciate the organizer, France Football for such honour.
“It’s such an honour to be elected the best center-forward of all time on the Dream Team by @francefootball. I gave my life for football and followed my dream. No matter the obstacle I faced and the pain I had to overcome I was always focused to get where I wanted: the TOP. How about You. Have you been chasing your dream?,” Ronaldo wrote.
How Ronaldo got into Ballon d’Or Dream Team
Ronaldo is currently the third all-time Brazilian highest goalscorer after being recently dislodged from the second spot by Neymar.
The legendry eleven were elected by the jury of the Ballon d’Or France Football.
Ronaldo during his playing days won six titles with the Selecao, which include two FIFA World Cup (1994 and 2002), two Copa America titles, an Olympic Bronze medal, and one FIFA Confederations Cup.
Unfortunately, the UEFA Champions League title eluded Ronaldo during his stint with Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSV, and Inter Milan. But he won one intercontinental cup, UEFA Europa League and European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Other titles won include one La Liga, Copa del Rey, Dutch Cup, and two Spanish Super Cup.
Ronaldo’s best season was during 1996-1997. The Brazilian scored numerous spectacular goals for FC Barcelona – one of them was a solo goal against Compostela, which is considered one of the most amazing goals in football.
He was out of action for 20 months after 2 operations. During his comeback in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he claimed the Golden Boot by scoring 8 goals during the tournament, which include 2 goals in the final match, to lead Brazil to win an unprecedented fifth World Championship.
Another top highlight of his career was on June 2, 2004, when he scored an unusual hat-trick for Brazil against archrivals Argentina in a CONMEBOL qualifier for the 2006 World Cup. He scored all of Brazil’s goals in a 3-1 win via penalty kicks.
The individual awards won by Ronaldo include three FIFA World Player of the Year award and two Ballon d’Or awards.
Ronaldo also scored 62 goals for the Selecao in 98 games.
With such accolade and honour, Ronaldo deserved to be among the first Dream Team players.
