France - Brazil friendly: Memoirs of Ronaldo's mysterious epileptic seizure 1
17 years after the 1998 World Cup final, fans still cannot forget the unexpected victory of host country France over a Brazil team that was considered number one that day.
Ronaldo was disappointed after the 98 World Cup final. Photo: EPA.
Just a few hours before the final match, Ronaldo was forced to be hospitalized.
Video France 3-0 Brazil (World Cup 1998)
Ronaldo was 21 years old at that time, playing brilliantly on the way to the final.
Ronaldo and his teammates had lunch at Chateau de Grande Romaine, a suburb of Paris, then returned to their private room and chatted with teammates like Carlos and Edmundo.
Edmundo later recalled that Ronaldo showed signs of violent convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and hit himself with his hands.
Defender Cesar Sampaio ran in and quickly pulled Ronaldo’s tongue out to avoid swallowing it.
In a conversation with the BBC last year, Ronaldo first revealed the unusual incident 17 years ago.
`Then the doctor called me into another room and said I had a seizure and couldn’t play in the final. I said ‘no way, I want to play’. We went to the hospital for about three hours of examination. It was a lot.`
While Ronaldo went to the hospital for a check-up, coach Zagallo removed his name from the starting lineup.
Zidane scored a double in the final.
Ronaldo’s condition seemed to be a shock to the entire Brazilian team.
Former coach of AC Milan and Inter, Leonardo – who played with Ronaldo at the 1998 World Cup – added: `The training sessions before the final did not include Ronaldo. We had to adjust the way we played. Zidane scored two goals
Ronaldo and his teammates lifted the Cup in Japan four years later, becoming one of the top strikers in football history.
The cover of L’Equipe before tonight’s match.
After 17 years, the two teams France and Brazil clashed again in Paris, with the captains of the two former teams now becoming the head coach of the national team.
Despite reaching the World Cup semi-finals in their home country, Brazil still had a failed football season with a shocking 7-1 loss to Germany.
France was also stopped at the World Cup by the Germans, in the quarter-finals.
The two teams bring their best players to tonight’s friendly match, except for injuries to Paul Pogba, Hugo Lloris (France) or Marquinhos, David Luiz (Brazil).
*Â France – Brazil friendly match takes place at 3:00 a.m. on March 27 (Hanoi time)
