A Brazilian striker bearing the name Ronaldo will instantly transport football fans to the late 90s and subsequent century, and remind them of one of the purest and most talented striker the sports has ever seen. Fast forward to 2019 and Perak will have a Ronaldo leading the line in the FA Cup final against Kedah on Saturday.
The similarity ends at the name as 28-year-old Ronaldo Henrique Silva does not has as storied a career as Luiz Nazario de Lima but the former has been in red-hot form since signing for Perak in the mid-season transfer window replacing the previously much-loved Gilmar Filho.
Just 12 matches played in the Super League and FA Cup but Ronaldo has already found the net eight times, proving that the decision to bring him in was justified. The former Botafogo and Yokohama FC striker has settled in really well under Mehmet Durakovic and he is keenly looking forward to what is literally the biggest game of his career.
"I am very happy because in my first year I can play in the final for Perak. I need to work hard this week to bring the cup to Perak. I'm of my team mates and myself because we have done a great job and are only one match away from being champions.
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"I have seen from internet photos and it is a very big stadium. I think it's capacity is around 100k and I've never played in that kind of crowd before. So I'm anxious to see the full stadium. I want to do well in the final not only for myself but to help Perak be the champions.
"Kedah have a good team. Maybe the Brazilian defender will not be playing and that is good for us. But it will be a hard game because Kedah players are good so we have to be focus and play together if we want to win," said Ronaldo on Tuesday.
He wasn't the only one brought in by Perak as Wander Luiz's spot was also taken by Raianderson da Costa Morais, who is more commonly known as Careca. Despite both having spent time playing in the Brazilian game, Ronaldo's path has not crossed with his younger compatriot.
Careca and Ronaldo have combined well in Perak colours and with Leandro dos Santos playing in midfield alongside Brendan Gan, there's a distinct Brazilian flavour along the spine of the Perak team. Utilising their language skills, Ronaldo is more than happy to be working with his new partner-in-crime.
With Renan Alves likely to miss out for Kedah, the possibility of Ronaldo wrecking havoc on Aidil Shahrin's team is increasing by the day. In form and in great health, Ronaldo could be the man to fire Perak to the FA Cup for the first time since 2004.
"Before, I don't know Careca in Brazil and have never played with him. But here Careca and I play together and we exchange a lot of passes. I'm happy that we have both scored and we have Leandro working behind us. Three Brazilians who are playing well in this competition.
"In the field we can speak Portuguese and other players don't understand. Sometimes I speak to Careca to pass to left in Portuguese, the player marking me don't know. I turn and receive pass from Careca, so it is good. But it is not just him, the other players are also good and who have been helping me to score. So I'm very happy with my team mates," he added.
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