Pace, strength, trickery, acceleration, close control and a cannon for a right foot - Ronaldo Nazario was the perfect striker.
Before him, attackers tended to be big centre-forwards, goal poachers or skilful No 10s. Here was a bloke who was all of that rolled into one grinning package.
This video - which is NSFW viewing for the defenders involved - showcases his audacious flair and deadly finishing. It's less than three minutes but try your hardest not to applaud throughout.
Ronaldo scored 62 goals in 98 games for Brazil, including a remarkable 15 in World Cups.
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The video highlights his international goals, as well as the astonishing individual skills he displayed for Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, among others.
The man nicknamed 'Il Fenomeno' scored a solo goal for Barcelona against Compostela (in full in the video below) so incredible it his manager Bobby Robson shaking his head in disbelief on the touchline.
He netted 47 goals in just one season at Camp Nou before his £25 million record-breaking transfer to Inter in 1997.
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However the Italian club only saw glimpses of his greatness. Injuries, which plagued him throughout his career, restricted him to less than a hundred games across five seasons at Inter.
He was fit enough to star in Brazil's 2002 World Cup win, scoring twice in the final, but many believe that we only saw flashes of what he could have been.
Standing 6ft tall, athletic yet with skills on the level of a Maradona or a Cruyff, he should arguably have gone on to achieve even more than he did if knee - and weight - issues hadn't impacted on his career.
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But this is the most remarkable part of Ronaldo's career: he's arguably the most definite all-time great who most people agree didn't fulfil anywhere near his potential.
Yet he always played the game with a huge smile on his face - and that's the exact reaction he creates in others today. A phenomenon indeed.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Brazilian football, Barcelona, Ronaldo, Brazil, Real Madrid, Inter Milan
