FourFourTwo's best team ever: Our ultimate XI of the last 30 years

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Presenting the best team ever - of FourFourTwo's lifetime, at least: an XI who have defined the past 30 years of football

CF: Ronaldo

Ronaldo celebrates the third goal for Internazionale

Ronaldo celebrates for Internazionale (Image credit: Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images)

If you’re nicknamed O Fenomeno chances are you’re a bit special. But Ronaldo wasn’t merely special, he was a force of nature.

When first arriving in Europe with PSV in 1994 - the year FFT was founded - the Brazilian was unlike any forward seen before. Ronaldo scored every kind of goal imaginable, whether it be beating five defenders on a mazy dribble, a long-range piledriver, or a poachers tap-in. Fans who only saw him in his later years, wouldn’t fully appreciate the blistering speed he possessed during those heady days.

His manager at Barcelona, Bobby Robson, later said: “He was the fastest thing I’ve ever seen running with the ball.” During his one and only season in Catalonia (1996-97) Ronaldo scored a frankly ridiculous 47 goals in 49 games in all competitions. Even now it is hard to imagine a better individual season.

He was unstoppable, only 20 years old – and was clearly totally unphased by the pressure that normally comes with a world record transfer fee. A second big money move to Inter Milan saw the Brazilian cement his position as the best player in the world. A horrendous knee injury suffered in April 2000 would later reduce his powerful, explosive nature. Who knows the levels he may have reached had he avoided such a crippling blow.

For many, it would have been a career-ender, yet Ronaldo managed to return to his rightful place as one of the best players on the planet. His intelligent movement and ruthless finishing was the catalyst for Brazil’s fifth World Cup in 2002 – scoring eight goals and winning the golden boot, for a team he later said was the best he had played in.

In the years after he managed to be the star attraction in a Real Madrid side that included Beckham, Figo, Zidane and Raul. Ronaldo didn’t have the same cultural impact of Pele, he didn’t lift otherwise average teams in the same way Maradona did. He didn’t have the staggering career longevity of Lionel Messi or Cristiano. But at his very best in the nineties, Ronaldo was as good as - if not better than - all of them.

Jack Lacey-Hatton

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.

With contributions from