The Grim Reaper Swoops In For Ronaldo’s Career

Yesterday didn’t start out all that well for The Original Ronaldo. The presses had decided that he’d had enough of the frustrations and was considering retirement altogether. Or moving to dustier pastures in the form of the MLS. There were the expected denials, but the man upstairs obviously had other plans, and if he wasn’t thinking about retirement, he damn sure is now: Left knee, severed tendon, career likely over.

Doubtful there will be any immediate decision on the future (or lack thereof), but it’s impossible not to surmise this is it. This isn’t the first severed tendon he’s had, among all the other, niggling injuries which have forced him to the sidelines. There are plenty of jokes to be made about his frailty, but it’s impossible not to feel bad for him. Ronaldo cried going off the field, having suffered the same injury before and likely understanding the consequences.

Regardless of loyalties, Ronaldo in his prime was something to behold. The guy is/was a gift to football. He was the prototypical striker, with plus-plus attributes scouts drool over. The goal scoring totals, as well as the goals themselves, were mind-boggling.

Even as a fan of a Serie A team which is not Milan, I wanted the Ronaldo of old to come back and raise heartbeats across the globe. So this, and I’m assuming the same can be said for many fans, is a sad day for football. He may come back, but it’s likely, after all of these injuries, he’ll never be the same. And though we haven’t seen vintage Ronaldo for some time, there was at least a glimmer of hope he’d turn football on its head again. That hope is all but gone.

The game highlights are here. His injury is just after the 3:30 mark. (Gianfranco’s recap and thoughts here\.) Below is a little video to remind of what was.

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Category: Serie A