Terrão graduate recalls Ronaldo's arrival and life at Corinthians | OneFootball

Striker Lulinha, developed in Corinthians’ youth academy and who also had a stint with Timão’s professional squad, gave an interview to Central do Timão on the Resenha do Lounge Brahma at Neo Química Arena, and recalled Ronaldo Fenômeno’s arrival and the time they spent together. Ronaldo wore the Corinthians shirt between January 2009 and February 2011.

“I remember we were on vacation. Then the buzz about Ronaldo started: ‘Ronaldo is coming to Corinthians, Ronaldo is coming to Corinthians.’ So I started calling people, I called Dente (Dentinho): ‘Dente, could it be true? Is Ronaldo coming to Corinthians?’ Then Dente said: ‘I don’t think so, right?’ He had that deal with Flamengo and everything. Then, about three days later, he was unveiled at Parque São Jorge. And man, it’s an enormous emotion. Because, like, playing with Ronaldo is awesome, he’s a beast. But living alongside Ronaldo is something different. Having dinner with the guy, playing cacheta with the guy. Playing poker with the guy, having lunch with the guy, pulling pranks on the guy, throwing the guy’s mattress onto the grass, slapping the guy in the face.”

Photo: Daniel Augusto Jr/Agência Corinthians

“Then I remember we got to the first day of training, and everyone was sitting there like that, full of expectation. Where’s the man, where’s the man? Then he arrived and started greeting everyone one by one and all that. He came over to greet me and said: ‘I’m Ronaldo,’ and all that. Ah, come on, man. Then I said: ‘Lulinha, let’s see if he remembers me there, let’s train together and all that, pass the ball, I don’t know what (….)”, he said.

Lulinha was considered one of the biggest prospects from the youth academy, where he scored more than 300 goals, in the early 2000s. In April 2007, the year the club was relegated to the second division for the first time in its history, he made his debut for the professional team, but never established himself in the senior squad. Overall, he scored four goals and provided 11 assists in 85 matches (43 as a starter) wearing the Corinthians shirt, winning three titles: Série B (2008), the Campeonato Paulista (2009), and the Copa do Brasil (2009).

Although his contract with Timão only ended in 2011, his last match for Alvinegro came in June 2009. After that, he went on a series of loan spells at Estoril and Olhanense, both in Portugal, as well as Bahia. Later, he played for clubs such as Avaí, Ceará, Criciúma, Botafogo-RJ, Mogi Mirim, and Red Bull Brasil, in addition to spells in Japanese, South Korean, Emirati, Cypriot, and Indonesian football. He currently plays for Madura United in Indonesia.

Ronaldo Fenômeno’s numbers for Corinthians

A global star, former striker Ronaldo Fenômeno was presented as Corinthians’ new signing at the end of 2008 and made his debut for Timão in March 2009. His first goal for Alvinegro came in a derby against Palmeiras, which ended in a 1-1 away draw in that year’s Campeonato Paulista.

In total, he scored 35 goals in 69 matches for Corinthians — 35 wins, 21 draws, and 13 losses — a 60.9% win rate. In addition, he won the Campeonato Paulista (2009) and the Copa do Brasil (2009), against Santos and Internacional respectively, playing a decisive role in both triumphs.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.