Ronaldo believes the burden of being the best player on the planet caused him to have a seizure before the 1998 World Cup final.
The iconic forward was the reigning Ballon d'Or holder heading into the showpiece event between Brazil and France. He had just scored 34 goals in his debut season at Inter Milan and found the net 47 times during the 1996-97 campaign at ex-club Barcelona.
Ronaldo also played a vital role in helping Brazil reach the 1998 final against the host nation - scoring four goals and providing three assists during the tournament - and was the country's great hope heading into the momentous occasion due to his lofty reputation.
But his hopes were dashed just hours before the final. Ronaldo suffered a seizure and was pulled out of the starting line-up. He was then restored to the team at the last minute but failed to lead Brazil to victory, as they were hammered 3-0 by France in Paris.
At the beginning of his new biopic - 'The Phenomenon: The Rise, Fall & Redemption of Ronaldo' - Ronaldo says: "A phenomenon cannot fail, cannot feel pain, cannot stop scoring." The quote is in relation to the pressure placed on him ahead of the 1998 final.
In an interview with The Athletic, Ronaldo goes on to explain: "What happened in France in 1998 was what happens at World Cups. Everyone’s attention is focused on it, the whole world stops to watch it. In ’98, I was beginning to understand that. The speed of information was getting faster and faster. It was a very tough moment."
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Ronaldo's career gradually collapsed after the 1998 World Cup final. Injuries restricted him to just 19 Serie A games during the 1998/99 campaign - although he still scored 14 league goals - before a serious knee injury threatened to end his career.
Ronaldo missed two years of football and needed two operations as a result of the injury, and many critics thought his playing days were over. Yet he recovered just in time for the 2002 World Cup, scoring eight goals to lead them to glory in Japan and South Korea.
The Brazilian's sensational comeback earned him his second Ballon d'Or and a big-money move to Real Madrid. His story has since gone down as one of the more impressive football comebacks of all time, considering the level he played at and the severity of his injury.
Ronaldo retired from playing in 2011 and has gone down in history as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He also represented Cruzeiro, PSV Eindhoven, AC Milan and Corinthians during his successful career, winning 19 honours - including two World Cups.
On his comeback, Ronaldo added: "The path from ’98 to 2002 was very tough. Before the World Cup, I had doubts. Rodrigo had been with me through the recovery, we went through Calvary together.
"We were together again, for my victory, after fighting through such a serious injury, such a tough recovery, and the ghosts of ’98. That hug said everything that I was feeling in that moment."
