Ronaldo completed his move to the Catalan side in the summer of 1996. As he had at PSV, he again followed in the footsteps of his Brazilian team mate Romario, who had played for Barca 1993 and 1995 after moving there from Eindhoven. Despite spending just one season at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo made a huge impact.
By the end of 1996, half way through the season, he had 17 goals in 20 games in all competitions, including a mesmerising solo effort against Compostela in a 5-1 win. This fantastic form earned Ronaldo the 1996 FIFA World Player of the Year award, finishing ahead of Milan’s George Weah and Newcastle’s Alan Shearer.
He also finished second in the 1996 European Player of the Year voting, and was given the nickname El Phenomenon by the Spanish fans, and lived up to the name by helping Barcelona to win the 1997 UEFA Cup Winners Cup. He scored five goals in the successful campaign, including the winning goal in the final, a penalty against Paris St-Germain.
Although the team finished runners-up to Real Madrid in the league, Ronaldo also helped Barca to win the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercup, scoring in the final of the latter. Despite still being only 20 years old, he continued his superb scoring record, and finished the season with 34 goals in 37 La Liga games. In all competitions, Ronaldo managed 47 goals in 49 appearances for Barca.
After a fantastic debut season in Spain, and more goals for the national team, it seemed Ronaldo would enjoy a long and fruitful career with Barcelona. But at the end of the season, there were problems with the renegotiation of his contract, and he was set for a shock exit when a bid of £19 million from Internazionale was accepted.
Remember to visit Sambafoot tomorrow for part four, and Ronaldo’s time at Inter.
