Ronaldo’s 1998 World Cup Final Nightmare: The Day He ‘Died’, Came Back… and Played Anyway
Football has its fair share of wild stories, from pigeons delaying kick-offs to streakers doing Cruyff turns but nothing gets as strange, dramatic, and downright spooky as the day Ronaldo Nazário, yes, the original Ronaldo, “died” before a World Cup final and still somehow played in it.
Let’s rewind.
The Year Was 1998. The World Was Watching.
Brazil vs France. The World Cup Final in Paris. The stage was built for one man: Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, the most unstoppable force in football back then. He had danced through defenders all tournament, scored four goals, assisted three more, and looked destined to lift the trophy.
And then… he disappeared.
Wait, R9’s Not Playing?
When Brazil’s official starting XI was submitted to FIFA, Ronaldo’s name wasn’t there. It was breaking news. The man expected to carry Brazil was off the team sheet. Panic. Confusion. Wild rumours. Was he injured? Kidnapped? Dead?
Minutes later… boom. He’s back on the lineup like nothing ever happened.
And when the match kicked off? Something was seriously off. Ronaldo barely moved, looked dazed, and had the energy of a Sunday league striker after a Saturday night bender. Brazil got thrashed 3-0 by Zidane & Co. The footballing world was stunned.
The Truth: Ronaldo Had a Seizure Hours Before the Match
Turns out, the night before the final, Ronaldo suffered a violent seizure in his hotel room. He was foaming at the mouth. Convulsing. Unconscious. His roommate, Roberto Carlos, witnessed the whole thing and immediately called the team doctor.
R9 was rushed to a hospital. He underwent scans. Tests. The medics advised Brazil to not risk him. So they left him out of the squad.
Until… they didn’t.
Just before kickoff, Ronaldo told the staff:
“I want to play.”
And they said… “Alright then.” Just like that.
But Why Was He Allowed to Play?
And here’s where it gets murky. Some believe he insisted on playing. Others think the pressure from Nike, Brazil’s main sponsor, played a role. There were whispers of politics, corporate interference, and shady behind-the-scenes deals. R9 was Nike’s golden boy, after all.
Theories flew faster than his stepovers:
Was he drugged?
Was it epilepsy?
Did Nike pull the strings?
Did Brazil throw the final?
No one really knows. But what we do know is that a man who had a seizure hours earlier played 90 minutes of World Cup football. And it went horribly wrong.
Redemption Was Sweet
Fast-forward to 2002. He returned, mullet and all, and absolutely destroyed every team in his path. He won the Golden Boot, scored twice in the final, and lifted the World Cup in style. If 1998 was the horror story, 2002 was the Hollywood sequel with a happy ending.
Football is chaos. But sometimes, it’s also a medical mystery, a PR nightmare, and a tinfoil-hat-worthy conspiracy, all rolled into one. Ronaldo’s 1998 final is exactly that.
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