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Arsenal and England legend David Seaman has named the original Ronaldo as the most terrifying player he ever faced.
Seaman, who was England’s first choice goalkeeper between Euro 1996 and the 2002 World Cup, faced some of the best forwards of the era. He came up against the ethereal Thierry Henry every day in training, but insists Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima – or O Fenomeno – was a cut above all others.
The shot stopper had the misfortune of coming up against Ronaldo twice for England – first at the 1997 Tournoi de France, and again in the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals. Seaman heroically stopped the Brazilian from scoring on both occasions, though the Selecao came out victors both times.
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Facing Brazil in 2002 brings back different memories for Seaman, however, with the 60-year-old’s solid performance quickly being forgotten after conceding to a 40-yard Ronaldinho free-kick. Yet he still counts Ronaldo as the more devastating opponent due to his remarkable range of finishes and an uncanny ability to take goalkeepers by surprise.
Speaking ahead of World Heart Day as an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation, Seaman said: “Ronaldo was the best at the time. Obviously, you watch players, they do different things. He would toe poke the ball as a finish, you're thinking 'toe poke?!'
“But trust me when strikers know what they're doing it's really effective, because you don't see any back lift on their leg to get ready for the shot. He used to do that all the time and he had the most powerful version of it I've seen.
“Even in that match against Brazil, I had a good game. I had a couple of one v ones with him and I made saves, but nobody remembers all that because of one obvious moment in the game.
“He was the best. People always ask me who was the best that you played against, which striker, and I always say Ronaldo. He was really good and tricky to face.
“You didn't really know what he was going to get up to, or how early he would take his shots. And there was always a chance he would dribble you as well. He had everything. So you had to try and be aware and predict what he'd do.”
Ronaldo arrived on the scene in the 1990s as a lightning quick, silky and clinical striker capable of embarrassing defenders and goalkeepers in a single move. He won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994 without featuring but went on to play a starring role in the 1998 and 2002 editions, scoring eight times while sealing his nation’s fifth title in the latter.
Despite suffering two consecutive ACL injuries which kept him side-lined for over three years, he still enjoyed a career which others could only dream of. He scored an astonishing 414 goals while playing for Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Corinthians and Brazil, winning two Ballon d’Ors along the way.
- Real Madrid FC
- Premier League
- Arsenal FC
- Barcelona FC
- PSV Eindhoven FC
- Inter Milan FC
- Serie A
- La Liga
- England Football Team
- Exclusives
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