Interestingly, that moment may have shaped my character and made me a better man than I was before. All the hard work to get back on the court, in my mind, was an ordeal that had to be overcome.

A sudden illness prevented Ronaldo from winning the 1998 World Cup. A serious injury in 2000 put a red light on his career. But the Brazilian redeemed himself by scoring two goals in the 2002 World Cup final.

This is Ronaldo's own recollection.

I vividly remember waking up that day in my hotel room surrounded by my teammates and team doctor Lidio Toledo. They're not saying what happened or why they're here. I asked them to leave and talk somewhere else. I just want to go back to sleep. But I was taken for a walk in the garden. They said I was unconscious for two minutes, so I won't play in the World Cup final against France that night. I can't accept that. I have a duty to my country and I don't want to let anyone down. I feel like I can still help the team. I have to play this game. Even after 18 years, I still don't want to see the first leg of the 2000 Coppa Italia final [Inter Milan v Lazio]. Every time I realized what was going to be on TV next, I walked away. Seeing those images, the pain seemed to come back.

Interestingly, that moment may have shaped my character and made me a better man than I was before. All the hard work to get back on the court, in my mind, was an ordeal that had to be overcome.

It was the first game back after six months off for a "minor" operation. The last thing I wanted was for the injury to return so quickly, but in April 2000 I had to undergo a more complicated operation and a much longer recovery period (in this game Ronaldo was injured again after only six minutes on the pitch, completely ruptured the tendon in his right knee). At that point, I felt like the whole world was falling apart. I can't believe this.

Two years before the World Cup in Korea and Japan, this was not a priority. But then it dawned on me that the World Cup was at stake. There's no guarantee of a successful recovery, let alone a timely return. We don't know how far the knee will go and how long it will take. I had no past experience to refer to because no football player had ever suffered this injury before. Honestly, it means we're more patient -- there's no timetable, there's no rush. We must respect the fact that recovery will take time, perhaps a long time. Finally the rehabilitation began. I remember that for the first eight months, I couldn't bend my knees more than 90 degrees, which made a lot of training impossible.

It was the hardest time of my life. Halfway through my recovery, my knee was like a piece of wood and couldn't even bend 100 degrees. Horrible reality, I was depressed, shocked. My only option is to continue, although I don't know if I will see the good results I so desperately want. Still, I never wanted to give up. There was only one thing I knew for sure: If I didn't give it my all, I would never play. If the comeback fails, I will have to retire. I'm ready to give it my all. The rehab was painful at times, but not being able to play again was even more painful. So I try not to think too much. I was in a dark tunnel, knowing only the daily rehab schedule, treatment schedule, therapy, practice, and so on -- everything that could save my career.

Eight months after my injury, I felt the need to listen to doctors around the world. Can they explain why they can't bend their knees? In the United States, a famous expert said, I will never play football again. His ideal recommendation: another surgery to "remove the blockage," perhaps allowing the knee to bend an extra 30 degrees. I never doubted my resolve. Never doubted that I could do what I needed to do to come back. Not including this moment. I doubt science. I'm not sure if there's a cure that's going to help me play football again. I'm not a doctor or a physiotherapist, but I've learned a lot from my injuries. In fact, you'd hardly imagine a footballer with such a scar -- thanks to screws and stitches. The fact that I'm back in the game is a miracle and probably a tribute to my hard work. A lot of things have been said or written about me during this period. What people say about me often frustrates me. In particular, certain misconceptions that have no medical or scientific basis. My injuries were unprecedented and doctors told me I would "never play again". Some doctors even said I might not be able to walk.

I was in a bad mood because I couldn't play. I don't think about anything but getting well. It was a long time of sacrifice and dedication. Finally, I saw slight progress. The World Cup is just around the corner and I still can't picture myself lifting the trophy. Fear and doubt still hold me back. The recovery period was so long that I wasn't sure what would happen next. I was almost trapped. I have always loved the World Cup final. It is not only the most important sporting event in the world, but also a unique ritual belonging to different cultures. Everyone who has won the World Cup for Brazil is my hero: Pele and his teammates in Sweden in 1958; Then there was Garrincha's team in 1962; Rivillino, Gersson and Torstang in 1970; Romario, Bebeto and others in 1994, then Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and my teammates in 2002.

Fortunately, as the World Cup approached, my knee got better and better. I gradually began to train my body and muscles. The future is uncertain and I still can't imagine myself playing in the World Cup. After all, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is unlikely to pick a player who has not played much in the last few years. But finally, after two years of struggle, I feel healthy again. I started playing for Inter Milan. Then, in March 2002, "Big Phil" called me up for a friendly against Yugoslavia in Fortaleza. I only played 45 minutes - my first cap for Brazil in three years - but it was enough to make sure I played in the World Cup. This is a historic moment for me. When I first got injured, it looked like the 2002 World Cup was over. The only thing that kept me going was a deep commitment to football that helped me overcome difficulties and grow as a man.

I can't thank Big Phil enough for believing in me. He could easily have chosen a striker with regular minutes in the league and a striker in better form, but he voted for me. I told him at the time that I would give my all and do everything I could to get fit and repay him at the World Cup. Big Phil's faith has made me more motivated than I've ever been. Our first match was against Turkey. This game was very important for me and helped me regain my confidence. Turkey opened the scoring in the last gasp of the first half. The situation did not seem ideal and the atmosphere was tense. In the fifth minute of the second half, Rivaldo received the ball on the left side of the penalty area and passed it towards the penalty area. I knew my only option was to volley, and I did. I jumped up and finished the crucial shot with my right foot to level the score. It wasn't my prettiest goal, but it doesn't matter. It was a goal for my country at the World Cup.

I felt no pain during the game and played the full field with almost no problem. But the next day, I felt sore because I hadn't played a full game for a long time. I found my confidence again because the Turkish team is very physical and aggressive. They gave me a hard time, but I got through it. We met again in the semi-final after I had scored against China, Costa Rica and Belgium. Another poor start - in fact, we didn't play well at the start. I had a little injury in my right thigh, which was probably why I made the winning shot. My leg hurts and I can't hit hard with the instep or the inside of my foot. The force of the stroke is mainly from the buttocks, so it relieves the burden on the thighs. I used to play futsal when I was a kid, and this technique is very common in futsal. Throughout my career, I've used the five-a-side technique, but this is undoubtedly the most famous. It was a World Cup semi-final, after all.

At the final whistle, we have secured our place in the final. I felt ecstasy and relief. But soon, the events of the last few hours before the 1998 final came back to me with a sudden sense of insecurity. I was going to take a break after eating and the last thing I could remember was going to bed. And then I started twitching, and these things affect almost everyone. They said I couldn't play in the final, but I didn't want to give up. I went to the doctor and the head coach Mario Zagallo. I talk to everyone because I want to hear different answers. I can kick if I want to. I knew I deserved to be in that final. I convinced the medical team to do a physical to make sure I was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. It doesn't look like anything happened. However, as we prepared to go to the stadium, the message from Zagallo was clear - I would not be playing.

I have the results in my hand, and Dr. Toledo has given me the green light. So I said to Zagallo at the stadium: "I am fine, here is the test result - prove I am fine. I want to kick." I came on. But that may have affected the whole team, because the tics must have been scary to watch. It's not something you see every day, and the whole process is a painful memory for all involved. This time, because of those bad memories, I was a little afraid to go to sleep after lunch on the day of the final. I wanted to talk to my teammates, but everyone is in the habit of sleeping after, especially before such a big game.

Finally I found that the reserve goalkeeper Dida was awake. We talked for about an hour and he was really nice to me, trying to distract me because he knew that every time I thought about the 1998 World Cup final, I remembered twitching. I'm most worried about history repeating itself. When I go to the court, I can finally focus on the game, put everything out of my mind and travel light. What a wonderful final. We were playing against a strong Germany but thankfully I scored two goals to help us win the title and bury the pain of the last four years.

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Before the final whistle had blown, the past came flooding back. I came off about five minutes before the end of the game and went back to the bench and I hugged Rodrigo Paiva, the media officer. He supported me through that long journey and I started crying and kept saying, "We did it, it was hard, but we won."

I could hardly stand. You could say I was the happiest man on the face of the earth. We played flawlessly and even after 100 minutes of stoppage time the Germans could not stop us. I watched the last few minutes with tears in my eyes, thinking that this was not only another world championship for Brazil, but also a victory for me.

In that moment, I felt complete. Not only had I won the World Cup, I had won the two-year battle with my body. It was the most important victory of my career and of my life. Now, I don't feel pain when I stand still. After playing so much football, I felt like my body was begging for a rest, so I had to give it a rest. Now I have the opportunity to enjoy other sports. I go to the gym and play tennis.

But actually, every time I play football, I still feel pain. The demands on my body are much more complex than other projects. Football requires speed, explosive power and amazing acceleration. All of this puts different parts of the body through different levels of stress. Walking onto the court, my body could no longer keep up with my mind. I've always said that football is my university. I didn't have time to go to college, but football taught me more than any master's or doctorate. I've always been thankful for football and what it has given me and helped me become the person I am today. Participating in collective projects teaches me how to get along with others. Every day's effort is for the benefit of the group.

Probably the most important thing football has taught me is how strong I am - something I knew nothing about before my injury. I've won a lot of accolades, I've scored a lot of goals, but to be honest with you, what I've given to football is nowhere near what football has given away. ​​​​