It was as recent as June 2011 that Ronaldo bid farewell to the Selecao with a final 15-minute cameo during a friendly with Romania in Sao Paulo.
The Brazilian was a far cry from his O Fenomeno peak by that point, with his last appearance for the national team coming five years previous.
But in a near-unprecedented move, the Brazilian Football Confederation granted Ronaldo one final farewell appearance ahead of his retirement and the end of a glittering 18-year career often defined by his exploits in the yellow jersey of Brazil.
One of the game’s very best strikers, a series of serious knee injuries had robbed Ronaldo of some of his peak years at club level. While setbacks of this kind convinced contemporaries like Alan Shearer to hang up their international boots in order to prioritise their club football, Ronaldo’s commitment to the Selecao remained unwavering.
Only Pele scored more international goals for Brazil than Ronaldo, but O Fenomeno outstripped his legendary predecessor when it came to World Cups, with his tally of 15 across four tournaments making him Brazil’s greatest marksman in the one competition that mattered more than most.
In all, Ronaldo scored 67 goals in 104 matches for Brazil. No No.9 has done more for Brazil and the task of replacing him hasn’t just proven difficult, it’s proven nearly impossible.
Here’s a ranking of the good, the bad and the ugly of Brazil No.9s in the years since Ronaldo.
13. Bruno Henrique – 2 caps, 0 goals
A fresh addition to the Ronaldo replacement ranks, Bruno Henrique’s time as Selecao No.9 has amounted to a paltry 16 minutes across two friendlies in 2019, but he’s done incredibly well to get this far.
The 28-year-old attacker first hit the big time in 2016, following a big-money move to Wolfsburg. But things didn’t work out for the pacy forward, who endured 14 goalless appearances in Germany before returning to Brazil.
An impressive return of 23 goals in 48 games with most recent club Flamengo saw him earn an international call-up by Tite for a couple of pre-Copa America friendlies. He didn’t make the final squad, but Henrique remains one to file under “TBD”.
Last night, Bruno Henrique showed everybody why he has been called up to the Brazil squad
His two goals handed Flamengo control of their #Libertadores quarter final vs. Internacional
🇧🇷⚽️🏆 pic.twitter.com/ylv5m2dnTJ
— Yellow & Green Football (@football_yellow) August 22, 2019
12. Jonas – 12 caps, 3…
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