By Theo Gardner
Even in the modern day, the Eredivisie is a breeding ground for the next generation of world class talent. While being a top competition in its own right, the league also can provide a key stepping-stone for top talent to hone their ability before making the leap to the European elite.
In recent history, we have seen: Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt take the step from Ajax, to Barcelona and Juventus/Bayern respectively, Memphis Depay leave PSV to go on to play for teams such as Manchester United, Lyon, Barcelona and soon, Atletico Madrid, Antony and Lisandro Martinez head to Manchester United and, Cody Gakpo and Noni Madueke move to the Premier League this January – just to name a few.
In the same vein, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima made the move to PSV Eindhoven from Cruzeiro after the 1994 World Cup. Despite interest from a number of European elites, Ronaldo decided upon the Dutch club under the advice of international teammate Romário.
Inevitably, Ronaldo impressed during his time in the Netherlands – scoring 54 goals in his 57 games played in a PSV shirt.
Ronaldo hit the ground running in the Eredivisie – grabbing his first goal just nine minutes into the opening league game of the season, in a 4-2 win over Vitesse Arnhem. The next game was much the same for Ronaldo, scoring just one minute into the game against Go Ahead Eagles and grabbing another in the second half. Ronaldo would go on to score eight more league goals before the new year.
Ronaldo started the new year off strong, scoring in four consecutive games spread over the months of January and February, before grabbing his first hattrick in the Dutch league on the 8th of April in a 4-0 victory over FC Utrecht.
Despite Ronaldo’s side experiencing a disappointing European campaign, Ronaldo shone on the European stage and announced himself to the world as the talent he truly was during his sides 5-4 aggregate loss to Bayer Leverkusen. At only seventeen years of age, Ronaldo scored a hattrick in Leverkusen against the eventual semi-finalists – shocking spectators and leading to German legend Rudi Völler referring to the young striker as ‘a rare treasure’.
Ronaldo would go on to finish the season with 30 goals in 33 games and claimed the top scorer title for the Eredivisie.
Ronaldo’s second and final season at PSV offered unfortunate foreshadowing of what his career would become – outstanding when he played, but plagued by injuries. R9 would only manage 13 league appearances in the 1995/96 season, as a result of issues with his knees.
Despite this, he still showcased his outstanding talent when he was on the pitch – 12 league goals in 13 games and 19 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions. This season would be the only season he claimed silverware in the Netherlands, winning the 1996 Dutch Cup.
Ronaldo appeared in the last 15 minutes of the final as his side would win 5-2 over Sparta Rotterdam.
On the 17th of July 1996, Barcelona signed Ronaldo for a then world record fee. A slightly sour end to his time in the Netherlands as he forced his way out of the club to move on the Catalonian giants.
Ronaldo would go on to grab two Ballon d’ors in his career, alongside being named as FIFA’s World Player of the Year on three separate occasions, amidst a wealth of other individual and team accolades.
Ronaldo cemented himself as one of the all-time greats after his move from PSV, however it was on this stage, playing in the Eredivisie that R9 announced himself to the world, and showcased the unbelievable talent he possessed. In his two seasons at the club, he displayed his world-class abilities and earnt himself a world record transfer fee – a sign of the legendary player he would become.