Sports
The Ronaldo World Cup 1998 Final ‘Mystery’ that Cost Brazil
There are moments in football so strange and unresolved that they seem to belong to fiction more than fact. The evening of July 12, 1998, at Stade de France is one of them.
A 21-year-old world star had arrived in Paris that summer not merely as a footballer, but a phenomenon — the most exciting player on the planet; he was inevitable, unstoppable. He had set the world alight with his talent, and it looked like the stage was set for him once again to take all the glory and cement his place on the throne of world football.
Brazil arrived in France ’98 as defending champions and clear favourites. With manager Mario Zagallo at the helm, a man who had been involved as player, coach or assistant in all four of Brazil’s previous World Cup wins, the Selecao carried the full weight of expectation. Yet the tournament wasn’t really about the team. It was about one man.
Ronaldo had spent the past two years laying the foundations of his legacy. After 47 goals in 49 appearances for Barcelona, he made a record-breaking move to Inter Milan and continued his domination. He was unstoppable in the air, devastating with the ball at his feet, terrifying at pace. He had won back-to-back FIFA World Player of the Year awards. French defender Marcel Desailly said: “Ronaldo was fantastic, a magician. We were all speechless when he touched the ball. The entire stadium held its breath. It was the first time I saw that.”
France ’98 was supposed to be his coronation, not that he needed one. He lit up the tournament with a brace against Chile and a goal in the semi-final against the Netherlands. Brazil booked their place in the final, and they were without doubt the favourites.
What Happened to Ronaldo In the 1998 World Cup Final?
The squad had lunch in their team hotel on the day of the final. Players returned to their rooms; everything seemed normal, like the big game later on in the evening would be a routine win. But, what happened next would send shock waves not just through the camp, but eventually through the entire footballing world.
Ronaldo collapsed in his room. Roberto Carlos had witnessed what followed: convulsions, foam at his mouth, the terrifying spectacle of his body in seizure. Team doctor Lidio Toledo was called immediately, and the room quickly filled with teammates and medical staff. Some players later recalled that Toledo wept when he arrived, although he later disputed this.
Toledo did, however, confirm the scene was severe; Ronaldo was breathing heavily, saliva collected around his mouth and he was momentarily unresponsive. Per a report in the Guardian, Roberto Carlos said:
“It was as if a malaise had come over him; not even he knew what was going on.”
He was rushed to the hospital for tests, and at 5pm, Zagallo had made the tough call: Edmundo would start the final. Ronaldo was out.
At 7:48pm, around one hour before kick-off, the official team sheet was submitted to FIFA. It all looked normal until the FIFA delegates read to the bottom of the list and realised there was no Ronaldo. When the news broke, confusion swept the stadium. Where was Ronaldo? John Motson had been commentating on the game for the BBC, and he was bewildered. He told CNN Sport:
“The team sheets were handed around by stewards as usual; lo and behold, Ronaldo’s name was not there, and everybody looking at their handout had the same reaction. People were standing up and waving and asking what was going on. We sat there in absolute ferment for quite a long time.
But then came the twist. Ronaldo himself, having recovered from hospital tests and been told he wouldn’t play, refused to accept it. He went to Zagallo and the medical team, insisting he was fit. He begged to play. And who could say no to the best player in the world? He was back on the team sheet within an hour.
Ronaldo has since given his own account of waking up surrounded by teammates, not knowing where he was. He told FourFourTwo: “I decided to get some rest after lunch, and the last thing I remember was going to bed. After that, I had a convulsion. I was surrounded by players and the Dr Toledo was there. They didn’t want to tell me what was going on.
“I asked if they could leave and go talk somewhere else because I wanted to sleep. Then Leonardo asked me to go for a walk in the hotel and explained the whole situation. I was told that I wouldn’t play in the final.”
The Aftermath
Brazil lost 3-0. It was their heaviest World Cup defeat in 68 years. Zinedine Zidane scored twice in the first half with headers from corners. Emmanuel Petit added a third in injury time. The contest was never close. Ronaldo lasted the full 90 minutes but was a shade of himself, sluggish, disconnected from the player who had tormented defences all summer. He had one meaningful shot, straight at Barthez.
The fallout was enormous. Zagallo lost his job, and team doctors followed him out the door. And the mystery didn’t die quietly. A Brazilian parliamentary inquiry was launched. An investigation attempted to establish what had actually happened. Various theories surfaced: that Ronaldo had been given an injection of lidocaine, a local anaesthetic, for a recurring knee injury, and that it may have been administered incorrectly, causing the striker to have a reaction.
Others pointed to Ronaldo’s state of mind, suggesting a nervous breakdown brought on by the suffocating pressure of carrying an entire nation. It was also suggested that it was in the commercial interest of Nike, who had signed a huge deal with the Brazilian federation, for Ronaldo to start. Edmundo, who had been replaced when Ronaldo returned, said: “Nike’s people were there 24 hours a day, as if they were part of the technical staff. It’s a huge power.” Ronaldo himself has deflected the theories, maintaining that he was fit to play.
It wouldn’t put a dampener on his career for too long, as the striker returned to glory in 2002. Fighting knee injuries, missing the entire qualifying campaign. Ronaldo turned up to the 2002 World Cup with a unique haircut and a point to prove. He finished the tournament as top scorer, taking the golden boot and the World Cup trophy home, winning everything that fate had conspired to take from him in Paris four years earlier.
O Fenomeno had his redemption – and so did Brazil.
Lionel Messi is almost unanimously viewed as the greatest footballer in history, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had low points in his career.
While it’s harsh to suggest reaching a World Cup final is a failure, there were always doubts surrounding Messi’s ability to get his country over the line on the biggest stage. That was again the case in 2014, when his side were beaten by Germany in the final.
He’s obviously put those doubts to bed in recent years with two Copa America wins and a World Cup triumph. But 12 years ago, his perception in international football was completely different. Even Diego Maradona questioned Messi after the 2014 World Cup.
Diego Maradona: Lionel Messi Golden Ball ‘Unfair’
Messi found the back of the net four times in the Brazil-hosted competition, but they were all scored in the group stage. That just played into the narrative that he hadn’t delivered in key moments for his country to that point. His quiet display in the final didn’t do much to help that.
However, many were left scratching their heads when a glum Messi, 27 at the time, stepped up to collect the Golden Ball award. The FIFA-awarded honour is given to the best player of the tournament, but few believed Messi fit that criteria that year.
Maradona publicly called out the decision, calling it a ‘marketing plan’ to give his compatriot the individual accolade. The iconic Argentine said:
“I would give heaven and earth to Leo, but when marketing people want him to win something he didn’t (deserve to) win, it is unfair.
“I could see that he didn’t want to go up and collect it (the award).”
Argentina manager at the time, Alejandro Sabella, didn’t agree with that assessment and defended Messi’s performances throughout the tournament.
“He deserves it because he played an extraordinary World Cup. He was a fundamental factor in the team making it to the final, along with everything done by his other teammates,” the Argentina boss stated.
“The World Cup is a highly demanding tournament and as for his reputation, he is in that pantheon among the greats. But he was there before – he has been there for quite some time.”
Maradona Felt World Cup Star Was More Deserving
Maradona had managed Messi and Argentina at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. But he went against his compatriot when naming his pick for the Golden Ball in 2014.
The other hot contenders were Germany’s Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, Mats Hummels and Philipp Lahm, as well as Messi’s teammates Javier Mascherano and Angel Di Maria.
But Maradona believed James Rodriguez of Colombia was the standout player at the tournament. Winning the Golden Boot that year with six goals, Rodriguez earned a blockbuster move to Spanish giants Real Madrid off the back of his breakout performance on the world stage.
Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 11-07-26.
WWE icon Charlotte Flair suffered a couple of unfortunate wardrobe malfunctions recently, one taking place during Saturday Night’s Main Event, and then another taking place on Friday Night SmackDown.
The 14-time Women’s World Champion will almost certainly go down as one of the most-decorated WWE Superstars of all time. The daughter of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, her journey to the top was difficult, as it was hard to carve her own way and get out of the shadow of her father. Through hard work and clever posturing, though, she has managed to build her own legacy, one that will last a long time after she retires from the ring.
One way that she managed this was through her long-established rivalry with fellow wrestler Becky Lynch, with whom she shared the ring many times. This relationship was even the subject of an episode of WWE Rivals, a show that celebrates some of the biggest rivalries the organisation has ever seen.
Among her accolades is the honour of being the main event of WrestleMania 35, alongside rival Lynch and former UFC champion Ronda Rousey. This was the first time the huge event in the organisation’s calendar had ever been headlined by women.
Flair was also one of the first women to ever main-event a pay-per-view, taking down Sasha Banks in a Hell in the Cell match that will be remembered by fans for time to come. She took the WWE world by storm, and her legacy will be remembered for not just her incredible wins, but for the sheer volume of her success: she went undefeated in 16 straight pay-per-view matches. This dominance is what earned her the nickname ‘The Queen.’
The latest development in Flair’s career has been her partnership with Alexa Bliss. They became a tag team after a history of rivalry in their own right, and have seen huge success in the partnership. It was with Bliss that Flair recently competed on SmackDown. The two faced B-Fab and Michin.
Charlotte Flair’s Awkward Wardrobe Malfunctions
During the match, Charlotte Flair was rolled up for a pin attempt by B-Fab. Her tights were briefly accidentally pulled, resulting in the wardrobe malfunction mentioned. The same thing happened to her during Saturday Night’s Main event as well, which has led to Flair suggesting that she needs to rethink her choice of wrestling attire.
Despite this, Flair and Bliss managed to secure the win and defeat Michin and B-Fab.
Arsenal are intent on adding a new midfielder to their ranks this summer, and recent reports suggest Bruno Guimaraes is at the top of Mikel Arteta’s wishlist.
The Gunners may have won the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years last season, but they aren’t prepared to sit still and rely on the same squad again next term. Instead, Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta are ready to invest heavily in the transfer market to ensure they take advantage of this window to build a dynasty, as their primary rivals enter a period of transition.
Arteta is understood to be fond of Guimaraes and is pushing for a deal for the Newcastle United man to be completed. However, the Magpies are reportedly demanding around £90million for their talisman, and this could present a major stumbling block in the prospective deal.
Arsenal Shouldn’t Pay £90m for Bruno Guimaraes
Newcastle sold Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur for £100million earlier this summer, while Mateus Fernandes also joined the Lilywhites for an astronomical fee, and Manchester City paid £116million for Elliot Anderson. This is the going rate for midfielders, and thus, it’s no surprise that Newcastle want upwards of £90million for their captain.
That said, there is a key difference with Guimaraes which Arsenal simply must consider before splashing this outlandish fee on him. While the aforementioned trio of midfielders are all 26 and under, the Brazilian will turn 29 in November.
Guimaraes is arguably the most talented of the lot, but his age profile should prompt the Gunners to carefully consider how much they’re willing to spend to bring him to North London.
When spending money on a player, how many years of service you’re likely to get from the player in question, in their prime, ought to influence how big you’re willing to go. Arsenal may get two or three seasons of Guimaraes’ best level, but beyond that there are question marks.
The fee for Fernandes may seem steep right now, but the Portuguese is 21, and Spurs could have him at his best for nine seasons. Essentially, given the deal came to £85million in total, the Lilywhites may end up paying around £9million per season for the former West Ham United man at his best.
If Arsenal get three great seasons before Guimaraes starts to decline, then their cost per season will equate to £30million. This outlay could also, in turn, prevent them from doing another piece of business they need to get done.
Of course, if Arsenal win another Premier League title or a Champions League during these three years, and Guimaraes plays a significant role in this triumph, the £90million outlay could be justified. However, it’s certainly food for thought for Arteta and Berta.
A fee in the region of £65million to £70million would feel much more comfortable.
Arsenal Should Sign Ayyoub Bouaddi Instead
If Newcastle remain stubborn with their £90million valuation of Guimaraes, then Arsenal should pivot to an alternative. The Gunners have been linked with a host of younger midfielders, including the likes of Alex Scott and Manu Kone, but they should ultimately turn towards Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Arsenal have reportedly submitted a £52million offer for Bouaddi, though Lille are understood to be wanting more than £60million for him. His price tag may even have gone up after his World Cup performances and the inflated value of transfers elsewhere. The 18-year-old has made waves in Ligue 1 over the last two seasons and is ready for a step-up to a more challenging league, even at his tender age.
While he may not be ready to make an immediate impact in the Premier League, he can develop at Arsenal over the next few years, with a view to him succeeding someone like Declan Rice in the future. He has superstar potential, with his ability to carry the ball aggressively through the lines and disrupt opposition attacks remarkably impressive given how young he is.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Some may argue that this move would leave Arsenal short on ready-made midfielders to compete on four fronts next season. However, the Gunners delivered a Premier League title last season with their existing cohort in this department, with the likes of Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly more than capable of holding down the fort across four competitions.
In fact, the stronger argument is that Arsenal don’t need a win-now signing in this position, and should instead be looking at their succession plans for the likes of Rice, Zubimendi and Merino. In three years, all three of these players could be past their best, and signing Guimaraes would do little to solve this issue.
However, Bouaddi, described by Morroco teammate Chemsdine Talbi as a “top-level player”, alongside Lewis-Skelly would set up Arsenal’s double pivot for years to come.
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