Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the Spanish province of Galicia worldwide, known as a hotbed of pilgrimage, with millions of Catholics coming every single year to praise Saint James The Greater.According to medieval legend, the remains of the apostle James were brought to Galicia for burial. In 813, the light of a bright star guided a shepherd who was watching his flock at night to the burial site in Santiago de Compostela.He travelled more than 2,000 kilometres for a religious pilgrimage – and fell in love with a football clubFrom 813 up until October 1996, the city was mainly known solely for this saint and the picturesque cathedral to his honour. From that day, exactly 25 years ago, Santiago de Compostela got itself another moment of – we almost dare to say – epiphany.Only this time, it was a young Brazilian guy who did the unthinkable. It was a stunning, thrilling not more than 20 seconds long of out-of-this-world brilliance that caused applause, standing ovations, and jaw-dropping faces among the crowd that witnessed the baptism of the new saint.Ronaldo and Ivan de la Penna (©Claudio Villa-Getty images) Unlike the others, his name was long and sounded so exotic – Luis Nazario de Lima Ronaldo. The bold striker already made his name in Europe with the Dutch giant PSV before moving to Camp Nou in June 1996. The Spanish media and public were full of praise for the young forward, but no one was aware of his limits until that windy autumn night in Santiago de Compostela. After it, it was clear – he had no limits!Barca were already two goals up, with ten minutes left on the clock before the break when he got a hold on the ball. The first opponent tried to stop him and failed. The second too. The third pulled his shirt purposely to commit a fault, but the referee’s whistle was silent, and their tormentor wasn’t interested in falling to the ground.So he continued his dance and unstoppable run with the ball, moving closer to the opposite box with such ease and style, in a perfect balance between a superb skill and tremendous pace.He made a fool of the entire Compostela team, let alone those two anonymous centre-backs who were lucky enough to witness the splendid finishing to this artistic performance.No more words. Just look at the reaction of a late Bobby Robson, the man who saw hundreds of breathtaking goals and individuals but was swept off with this absolute stunner.25 years ago today, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima scored one of the greatest goals of all time.A goal so good that Bobby Robson simply could not believe what he’d just seen.pic.twitter.com/PZAx5dHTR6— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) October 11, 2021 Saint Ronaldo. Or, if you prefer, the only Ronaldo. Indeed.By: Bojan Babic
