Edmundo’s terror: “I saw Ronaldo having convulsions. Leonardo said he would die in the field “

The story of Ronaldo’s pre-match convulsions before the France ’98 final is not just an urban legend. And to reiterate it is someone who has experienced the issue directly: the former Fiorentina and Napoli Edmundo.

The 1998 World Cup final in France is a legendary one. The Gallettis will always remember the goals by Zidane and Petit that gave the Bleus their first title, but the rest of the world will always think of the match as the one in which the Phenomenon was unable to play. The images of Ronaldo returning to Brazil holding onto the plane’s ladder and the uncontrolled rumors already on match day confirm that pre-match convulsions are not just an urban legend. And to reiterate it is someone who has experienced the issue directly: the former Fiorentina and Napoli Edmundo. A while ago O Animal spoke on the podcast Inteligência and explained what happened a few hours before the match.

“I was leaving the bedrooms with Doriva and I saw Ronaldo having convulsions. I went up to warn everyone, with César Sampaio we held his tongue while his eyes moved back and forth” Then, thanks also to the very rapid arrival of the doctors , the Phenomenon recovers. But he doesn’t know what happened to him. “We all knew he had seizures, except him.” And in fact he doesn’t act like someone who just had a bad experience. “He arrived at the houses, sat down and started to eat a cake. We all looked at him very nervous, then he went up to make a phone call and Leonardo said ‘we have to talk to him, so he will die on the pitch'”.

In those conditions, at least in theory, Ronnie cannot play … “It was strange, a bit in the clouds. Zagallo said that Ronaldo would not play and that I would be the decisive player. And everyone strengthened me, he was a sensational group. We arrive at the stadium two hours before the game, we all had our rituals and Zagallo was motivating us. The formations arrive and the owner is me. Then Ronaldo arrives, accompanied by one of the doctors. We were happy that he was well. He reunites. with Zagallo, the staff and the doctors for 5 or 10 minutes. When they come out, the coach tells me that Ronaldo would play, so I could take it easy. But it was a medical decision, not a technical one, he was the best in the world and he had just won the Golden Ball “. But in that game, the Juggernaut is a ghost. And the opposite would have been strange …