“The nickname originally came from Italy, the Italians started to call me ‘Il Fenomeno’,” Ronaldo Nazario tells The Athletic, explaining the origins of the old nickname that has now become the title of a new film about his life.
“That was an extra pressure, which was unnecessary. I already had enough pressure. I did not need any more.”
Ronaldo speaks in Madrid just before The Phenomenon’s global preview. At 21 years old, he was widely regarded as the best soccer player in the world due to his technical abilities, clinical calm and physical gifts. He was already the world’s most expensive player and a Ballon d’Or winner predicted to lead BrazilYou will succeed at the World Cup. He was also the globe’s most famous sportsman, expected to meet every demand while flashing his characteristic toothy smile.
This film is a Zoom Sports/DAZN Studios production. It explores the stress that all of this has on a young man. “A phenomenon cannot fail, cannot feel pain, cannot stop scoring,” he says early on, explaining how that burden led him to have a seizure and be hospitalised on the morning of the 1998 World Cup final, in which he eventually plays but Brazil lose 3-0 to hosts France.
“What happened in France in 1998 was what happens at World Cups,” Ronaldo says now. “Everyone’s attention is focused on it, the whole world stops to watch it. In ’98, I was beginning to understand that. Information was moving at a faster pace. It was a very tough moment.”
It was a difficult time for Ronaldo, who suffered a serious injury to his knee playing for the tournament.
