Eindhoven , he joined Spanish giants Barcelona in 1996 . In his first season with the Catalan club , he scored an amazing 34 goals in 37 games to finish as the top scorer in the Spanish League . His 1997 move to Italian side Inter saw him make a mockery of the famed Italian defenses , scoring 25 goals in the league and helping Inter win the UEFA Cup , all during his first season . When Real Madrid came knocking in 2002 , Ronaldo answered the call . He went on to score 23 goals in his debut season for Madrid and 24 the following season , which resulted in another Spanish scoring title .
A much unused substitute in the 1994 World Cup , Ronaldo shone in the 1998 edition of the competition , netting four goals before mysteriously falling ill the day of the final as his side lost 3-0 to France . Four years later , Ronaldo returned to prove his point : eight goals throughout the competition , including both goals in the final match against Germany , and Brazil was crowned the 2002 World Cup champion .