Born in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro, to an impoverished mother and an alcoholic father, Ronaldo Luiz De Lima overcame his humble beginnings to become one of the greatest footballers the world has ever known. Here, Clarkson uncovers the truth about Ronaldo's life: his modest childhood in the deadly, drug ravaged slums of Rio, where he witnessed friends murdered; his shame and disappointment at the 1998 World Cup in Paris, where he was brought to his knees in front of a world-wide audience of two billion; and his glorious moment of triumph as he overcame all his past troubles to win the 2002 World Cup for Brazil. Ronaldo's mother, father, school teachers and childhood friends all reveal their secrets about the footballing superstar. His amazing career is closely examined through his first coaches in Rio, to PSV Einhoven, Barcelona and Inter Milan, through to Brazil's victory at Japan/Korea 2002.