5 high profile signings made by Real Madrid after each of the last 5 World Cups

Real Madrid's Fabio Cannavaro smiles dur
Fabio Cannavaro was a Balon d'Or winner

#4 Ronaldo (Inter Milan to Real Madrid), 2002

FUSSBALL: WM 2002 in JAPAN und KOREA, BRA - BEL 2:0
Ronaldo was the star of the 2002 World Cup

Before Cristiano Ronaldo, there was another Ronaldo who terrorized defenders with his pace and trickery. 1994 World Cup winner, at the age of 17, the Brazilian Golden Boy of 1998 World Cup and 2-time FIFA Player Of The Year Ronaldo came into the 2002 World Cup on the back of 2 injury-ravaged seasons with Inter Milan after twice injuring his knee.

Il Fenomeno as he was called quashed all doubts about his fitness and quality with the goal in the 50th-minute in the very first match of the 2002 World Cup as Brazil won 2-1 against Turkey. The next 6 matches saw Ronaldo scoring in 5 of the 6 matches as he ended the 2002 World Cup with 8 goals and winning the Golden Boot and World Cup in the process.

This superb performance led to Real Madrid signing the 25-year old forward. Ronaldo played 177 matches for Real Madrid and scored 104 goals for the Los Blancos in 5 years at the club. Ronaldo played 98 times for Brazil and scored 62 goals for the Selecaos.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith