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Born in Rio de Janeiro on September 22, 1976 Luiz Nazario de Lima Ronaldo, fans know him best as simply Ronaldo, or Fenomeno ("The Phenomenon").

The soccer forward, who began his professional career in 1993 with the Cruziero club, has also played with PSV Eindhoven (1994-96), Barcelona (1996-97) and Inter Milan (1997-2002).

The year 2002 arguably has been Ronaldo's best in recent years when he won the Golden Boot in the World Cup with a total of 8 goals and shortly after was named Player of the Year by Soccer magazine. He signed a 45 million euro contract with Real Madrid in August of 2002.

On June 2, 2004, Ronaldo scored all of Brazil's goals in a 3-1 win from penalties against archrivals Argentina in a Conmebol qualifier for the 2006 World Cup in which he later set a record for goals scored. This, despite the critism leading up the games that Ronaldo had put on too much weight and was out of shape.

Subsequently, David Beckham's departure for America led to speculation that Ronaldo would follow his teammate for a spot on a U.S. Major League Soccer team.

However, in a £4.95 million 18-month deal in late January, the Brazilian striker switched from Real Madrid to AC Milan.

Off the field, Ronaldo made tabloid headlines in 2005 when he married Brazilian model and MTV host Daniela Cicarelli in February. The couple have since separated.

BBC Sport Academy - Ronaldo - An exclusive interview with the Brazilian soccer star with photos and links to related stories.

Ronaldo - Wikipedia - The online encyclopedia featuring a complete biography, career highlights, picture, links.

AskMen.com - Ronaldo - The online men's magazine with thoughts on why he's admired, including a biography, career highlights, quotes, pictures.

All I Want Is Ronaldo - Huge fan site featuring a biography and background info, career stats, video clip library, picture gallery, and one of the largest collections of Ronaldo wallpapers anywhere.

The Ultimate Soccer Gallery - Photos - Ronaldo - Some 60 action photos over 2 pages in clickable thumbnails.

also see -> David Beckham | Michael Owen | Ronaldinho

Cristiano Ronaldo | Wayne Rooney | Soccer

FIFA World Cup