Zico: Injuries prevented Ronaldo emulating Pele The Brazil icon says the former Barcelona and Real Madrid man could have matched the achievements the three-time World Cup winner had injuries not taken their toll Ronaldo had all the characteristics needed for the position that he used to play – speed, dribbling, intelligence, shooting, Zico, now coach of Indian Super League side FC Goa, told Goal. He was very powerful. The only problem he had was with his heading ability. He didnt know how to head the ball and wouldnt get into a good position where you could head well as it was not one of his strong points. He was very strong and his biggest assets were his speed, his acceleration and how he was placed positionally to receive the ball to get into the box. His transition with speed was always wonderful. Comparisons with Pele, who scored 77 goals in 92 Brazil appearances and won the World Cup three times in 1958, 1962 and 1970, are always daunting but Zico believes Ronaldo is one of the few who could have stood shoulder to shoulder with his compatriot. The biggest difference between him and Pele was that Pele never got injured. Ronaldo had so many surgeries. Pele did get injured but it was some knocks, injuries that were easier to recover from. None of the other players Goal inducted [Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Ferenc Puskas and Pele) had as many injuries as Ronaldo.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 10:14:18 +0000