Ronaldo was born on the 22nd of September of 1976 in Bento Ribeiro, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. He is named after Doctor Ronaldo Valente, who assisted his mother, Sonia dos Santos Barata, during her third delivery. His father, Nelio Nazario da Lima, worked for a teleph9one company "Telerj". Ronaldo's full name is Ronaldo Luiz Nazario da Lima. There was evidence of his physical coordination from the start as soon as he learned to walk, play and even dance. Ronaldo didn't start speaking until he was almost three years old, by which time he had became fascinated watching his father play soccer with his friends. From the very beginning school was a bit nuisance for him. He preferred being outdoors, playing barefoot and dreaming the dream. He wanted to become like his idol, Zico.
In 1988, Ronaldo joined his first club team, Tennis Club Valqueire, where he played indoor soccer.
Ronaldo
Français : Ronaldo au festival de Cannes
Português: Entrevista coletiva do futebolista bra...He played with a size 2 ball on a basketball court. The ball had very little bounce which meant the ball was always on the ground. This game was designed to encourage foot control and is credited with being the reason why Brazilian players are so skillful. Ronaldo started his first game with this club team on the bench, where they selected him as cover for the goalkeeper. Eventually he played as a forward, where he like it because he loved to score.
When Ronaldo was 13 he still played indoor soccer with the Social Ramos and regular outdoor soccer with Sao Cristovao. He became the leading scorer in both tournaments and had to choose which path he wanted to follow. He decided to focus on outdoor only. He was good and he was getting noticed. His mother preferred him to study, but he preferred to play soccer.