On this day, Ronaldo gets redemption and lands Brazil a record fifth World Cup crown

The modern footballing landscape has been dominated by two names over the past fifteen years, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

Two names, two players who will go down as two of the greatest to ever play the game. However, a generation prior, it was another Ronaldo who was destined to be part of that same conversation. 

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, or Ronaldo, or R9, was the poster boy of the late 1990s. A striker of supreme ability, almost the like football had never seen, and the 1998 World Cup was meant to be his crowning glory. 

After scoring 4 goals in the run-up to the final, his finals was runied by a pre-match seizure, that first ruled him out for the showpiece, before dramatically being included back in the starting line-up. Yet, he was a shadow of himself, and his Brazil side succumbed to a 3-0 loss to hosts, France.  

It looked as though he'd missed his moment, but Ronaldo wasn't done yet. Four years later, and now a Real Madrid Galatico, 'El Fenomeno' would get another crack at a World Cup and this time it had the perfect ending. 

The striker scored eight goals in the tournament and finally cemented his place as the best player in the world, with a starring role in the final. 

It was his two strikes in the win over Germany, on this day in 2002, that sealed the trophy and delivered Brazil's record-breaking fifth World Cup triumph.

Sadly, a serious knee injury plagued his career after that, robbing him of the opportunity to establish a legacy to match the game's absolute, but he's still seen as an icon on the World Cup stage.