Given the special contribution of this supremely gifted player to the football, the sight of Ronaldo in tears being stretchered off the field again is something no one wanted to see. From a medical perspective, there is nothing to prevent another comeback, but it will all come down to the will of the player.
One person bullish about the player's chances is his father, Nelio Nascimento, who had this to say following the latest injury: "I'm hearing a lot of silly talk, people saying it's the end for him. But Ronaldo is a fighter and he won't let this injury stop him."
The medical diagnosis is unambiguous. Ronaldo has undergone a successful operation on the rotulian tendon in his left knee. The procedure was performed by Doctor Eric Rolland, assisted by Professor Gerard Saillant, who has carried out previous operations on the Brazilian, in November 1999 and then in April 2000, to repair similar injuries to his right knee.
"The operation went well and the recovery period should now last nine months. His return to action will depend not only on how his recuperation goes but also on his motivation. The psychological side is almost as important as the physical side," professor Saillant explained.
Belief the key The leading sports medicine experts are unanimous on this point: the main obstacle will not be physiological, but will instead come down to the player's determination. It is Ronaldo alone who will be able to decide if it is worth the effort to return to the fray, if only to be able to make a grand exit from the global footballing stage.
There is no denying that, at the age of 31, it is going to be a lot more difficult and will require more sacrifices than at 20. Inter Milan's chairman Massimo Moratti is convinced that his former star striker will be back: "I believe he can get back to his best. Okay, he's a bit older, but medicine has progressed and things can be done that were impossible seven or eight years ago."
Piero Volpi, who was club doctor at Inter from 1995 to 2000, when Ronaldo played there, is in agreement: "The recovery process takes around eight to ten months, but I'm still optimistic about Ronaldo's future career," he said. "The real problem is that he's eight years older than he was in 2000 and, for an athlete, that always makes it harder to get back to full fitness."
AC Milan chairman Silvio Berlusconi is similarly convinced: "I've talked to Ronaldo and asked him to believe in himself. At 31, he's still got a lot left to give. He has extraordinary physical potential and I believe that in a few months he can once again be the world-beater we know and love."
However, in playing circles, some have questioned whether it is worth Ronaldo putting himself through such hardship again at this stage in his career.
Seleção ambition "All of our bodies have weak points and for Ronaldo, it is his two rotulian tendons. Ronaldo is an explosive player with quite a compact style that places great strain on his tendons," emphasised Gerard Saillant in December 2000. At the time, he had predicted that the player "would return", which of course proved to be the case. But he also added that "had he been 30, Ronaldo would never have made it back".
Despite suffering from numerous problems this season, Ronaldo managed to demonstrate in the space of one match that he could still be ruthlessly effective. During AC Milan's recent 5-2 win over of Napoli, the San Siro fell under the spell of Ka-Pa-Ro - the combination formed by Kaka, Alexandre Pato and Ronaldo - as the three extravagantly talented Brazilians ran riot for 63 minutes.
Ronaldo was an unused substitute when Brazil won the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™, and then pocketed a runners-up medal four years later after playing in the Final while not fully recovered from a debilitating illness. He inspired the Seleção to glory at Japan/Korea 2002, picking up the adidas Golden Shoe award in the process, and then made history by becoming the competition's all-time top scorer (15 goals) in 2006. The possibility of participating in his fifth FIFA World Cup at South Africa 2010 could well provide sufficient motivation for the former Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid ace to throw himself wholeheartedly into yet another recovery programme.
"He can't just leave us like that," asserts Fabio Cannavaro, a sentiment shared by AC Milan gaffer Carlo Ancelotti. "Everything's down to Ronaldo now. Football is his life so I'm certain he'll be back. We'll be waiting for him," he said.
One person bullish about the player's chances is his father, Nelio Nascimento, who had this to say following the latest injury: "I'm hearing a lot of silly talk, people saying it's the end for him. But Ronaldo is a fighter and he won't let this injury stop him."
The medical diagnosis is unambiguous. Ronaldo has undergone a successful operation on the rotulian tendon in his left knee. The procedure was performed by Doctor Eric Rolland, assisted by Professor Gerard Saillant, who has carried out previous operations on the Brazilian, in November 1999 and then in April 2000, to repair similar injuries to his right knee.
"The operation went well and the recovery period should now last nine months. His return to action will depend not only on how his recuperation goes but also on his motivation. The psychological side is almost as important as the physical side," professor Saillant explained.
Belief the key The leading sports medicine experts are unanimous on this point: the main obstacle will not be physiological, but will instead come down to the player's determination. It is Ronaldo alone who will be able to decide if it is worth the effort to return to the fray, if only to be able to make a grand exit from the global footballing stage.
There is no denying that, at the age of 31, it is going to be a lot more difficult and will require more sacrifices than at 20. Inter Milan's chairman Massimo Moratti is convinced that his former star striker will be back: "I believe he can get back to his best. Okay, he's a bit older, but medicine has progressed and things can be done that were impossible seven or eight years ago."
Piero Volpi, who was club doctor at Inter from 1995 to 2000, when Ronaldo played there, is in agreement: "The recovery process takes around eight to ten months, but I'm still optimistic about Ronaldo's future career," he said. "The real problem is that he's eight years older than he was in 2000 and, for an athlete, that always makes it harder to get back to full fitness."
AC Milan chairman Silvio Berlusconi is similarly convinced: "I've talked to Ronaldo and asked him to believe in himself. At 31, he's still got a lot left to give. He has extraordinary physical potential and I believe that in a few months he can once again be the world-beater we know and love."
However, in playing circles, some have questioned whether it is worth Ronaldo putting himself through such hardship again at this stage in his career.
Seleção ambition "All of our bodies have weak points and for Ronaldo, it is his two rotulian tendons. Ronaldo is an explosive player with quite a compact style that places great strain on his tendons," emphasised Gerard Saillant in December 2000. At the time, he had predicted that the player "would return", which of course proved to be the case. But he also added that "had he been 30, Ronaldo would never have made it back".
Despite suffering from numerous problems this season, Ronaldo managed to demonstrate in the space of one match that he could still be ruthlessly effective. During AC Milan's recent 5-2 win over of Napoli, the San Siro fell under the spell of Ka-Pa-Ro - the combination formed by Kaka, Alexandre Pato and Ronaldo - as the three extravagantly talented Brazilians ran riot for 63 minutes.
Ronaldo was an unused substitute when Brazil won the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™, and then pocketed a runners-up medal four years later after playing in the Final while not fully recovered from a debilitating illness. He inspired the Seleção to glory at Japan/Korea 2002, picking up the adidas Golden Shoe award in the process, and then made history by becoming the competition's all-time top scorer (15 goals) in 2006. The possibility of participating in his fifth FIFA World Cup at South Africa 2010 could well provide sufficient motivation for the former Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid ace to throw himself wholeheartedly into yet another recovery programme.
"He can't just leave us like that," asserts Fabio Cannavaro, a sentiment shared by AC Milan gaffer Carlo Ancelotti. "Everything's down to Ronaldo now. Football is his life so I'm certain he'll be back. We'll be waiting for him," he said.
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