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Ronaldo: The Journey of a Genius

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The Journey of a Genius encapsulates the highs and lows of the Brazilian soccer star's remarkable career to date. Brimming with exclusive interviews and full of revealing new insights into his life and personality, this is the definitive Ronaldo biography. James Mosley's exclusive access to the footballer's close management and advisers allows him to reveal the inside story of Ronaldo's explosive impact on the world game at Barcelona in 1997, the mysterious events of the World Cup final at France '98 and the horrendous knee injury that threatened to finish his career. This exhaustive biography also takes us off the pitch to unearth aspects of Ronaldo's private life, including the circumstances behind the failure of his first marriage and his recent ups and downs with various Brazilian supermodels.

268 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2005

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James Mosley

29 books

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
52 reviews2 followers
March 14, 2017
There is something a little old-fashioned now about an accounting of a footballer's career in print. All the goals Ronaldo has ever scored are available on You Tube, every great touch he ever made has been highlighted in some collection of footage posted somewhere online.

Nonetheless, this telling of Ronaldo's career, made when he was still at Real Madrid during the ruins of the Galactos period of that club's history is a very decent read. I would suggest that Ronaldo's single season at Barcelona represents the most unplayable any footballer has been since the heyday of Diego Maradona, before he blew out his knee, before the flogging of his talent for profit had really begun, but it also represented the advent of the modern footballer. Pulling down millions for each season he played at Barca, Inter and Madrid, Ronaldo was also the first of the branded footballers, taking his "R-9" brand to every club he played for.

From that perspective alone it was an interesting read, told in straightforwards fashion by a fan rather than a football man.

A very solid effort.
Profile Image for Edmund Bloxam.
416 reviews7 followers
December 6, 2021
What would be the point in reading a book about an unfinished career? Well, Ronaldo's career effectively finished at the end of the 05/06 season anyway, as that was the season where poor form and terminal decline set in. Essentially, there isn't much else to say. Even his 06 World Cup was indifferent.

I picked this up in a charity shop and filled in the gaps of a player who should have been in the ranks of Pele, Maradona and Matt Le Tissier (:)) before his devastating injury. For three years after his recovery, he was the best in the world (maybe tying with Zidane), and that ain't half bad.
Profile Image for Gary K.
177 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2023
Good read . Could have been the best ever if it wasn’t for injuries. Still didn’t get the full story from Paris 98 though
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

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