Former PSV world striker returns to his time as coach: "It was super fun"

Last Tuesday, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima celebrated his fiftieth birthday. The Brazilian played for PSV between 1994 and 1996.

After the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where Brazil became world champions for the fourth time with Ronaldo, who was seventeen at the time, in the squad, the striker went to PSV. In the Netherlands, the forward did not yet have a valid driver’s license.

Because of this, Mart van den Heuvel had to take him to De Herdgang for three quarters of a year in 1994. ''Ronaldo had already bought a car, but he still had no driver's license at all'', Van den Heuvel tells Omroep Brabant.

Onder Van den Heuvel, the Brazilian gradually found his way into Eindhoven. "Ronaldo was really still a kid, but he was already very loved here and he also really listened when you told him something," says the former team manager about it.

Eventually, the striker had to manage to obtain a valid driver's license via Rijschool Dekker in the Netherlands. ''He had already obtained a provisional driver's license in Brazil, but it was not legally valid in the Netherlands'', driving instructor John Dekker still recalls all too well.

That is why Dekker gave the former PSV player driving lessons personally, and that was a special experience. ''His motor skills were naturally excellent, but the way he looked, the way he anticipated, the things we train for—that was far from top-level sport,'' Dekker says about it.

Especially driving through the center of Eindhoven was a big challenge for the Brazilian. ''It was incredible how quickly people recognized him. People who gathered around the car, girls who sat on the hood. It was super fun,'' continues the driving instructor.

In addition, Dekker managed to prevent a minor incident involving Ronaldo. "Ronaldo had caused a small collision near De Herdgang. Nothing serious, but it was the reason for PSV to send Ronaldo to driving lessons," said the driving instructor.