FIFA Men's World Cup

World Cup's 101 Most Memorable Moments: Ronaldo's 2002 redemption

Published Oct. 28, 2022 11:01 p.m. ET

Editor's note: Each day between now and the kickoff of the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Nov. 20, we'll unveil a different memory from World Cup history. The countdown from 101 continues with Ronaldo's redemption in 2002.

Four years after suffering a seizure on the day of the 1998 World Cup final, then sleepwalking through France’s commanding 3-0 win, Brazilian striker Ronaldo had a chance to make things right.

It’s not that the first World Cup Ronaldo played in — he was the youngest member of Brazil’s triumphant 1994 squad at 17, though he didn’t appear in a match — was a failure. Despite falling at the final hurdle, Ronaldo won the Golden Ball as the best player at France ‘98.

Brazil expects to win every World Cup, of course. And in Japan in 2002, Ronaldo and the Seleção got another chance when they reached the championship game for the third World Cup straight. Ronaldo wasn’t about to let his chance at redemption pass by. He scored both goals in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Germany, and finished as tournament’s leading scorer.

Ronaldo's redemptive brace

Brazil took home the trophy behind a legendary performance by Ronaldo.

One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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