25-year-old Ronaldo will play in his third World Cup final on Sunday.
Eight years ago, he was a reserve on the Brazil natioanl team and did not get to kick a ball, though he had the privilege of holding the trophy aloft after the penalty shootout win over Italy.
In 1998, he famously played, dazed and lethargic, after suffering a fit in the team hotel only hours before the game.
At the current tournament, Ronaldo has exceeded expectations with his six goals and has been one of the players of the tournament.
After scoring the only goal of Wednesday's semi-final win over Turkey, he said:"Winning or losing, my big victory is to play again." "After all the suffering, I feel extremely happy to be able to score goals, to run, to play football. The nightmare is over."
Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said: "The group needs Ronaldo. He is part of the group, his attitude is much more positive than it was four years ago."
Editor: May
Source: Xinhua
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