Renaldo Lopes da Cruz
Encyclopedia
Renaldo Lopes da Cruz, simply Renaldo (born 19 March 1970), is a Brazil
ian footballer who plays for Vilavelhense Futebol Clube
as a forward.
, Bahia
, Renaldo played for more than 15 different clubs in his country, most notably for Clube Atlético Mineiro
. During his entire career, he only missed two penalty kick
s – both in the same match, a 3–0 home win against Figueirense Futebol Clube
– and left for Spain
in 1996 to sign with Deportivo de La Coruña
. Also during that year, he gained his sole cap
for the Brazilian national team
.
Upon his arrival in A Coruña
, he said, while describing himself as a player: "I am like Ronaldo
, but with an "e"". However, he grossly failed to live up to expectations, also spending time with three other teams in the country (all in Segunda División
). In the following decade, a humorous Spanish
website
called Renaldinhos y Pavones was created, containing anecdotes on several national and foreign players which caught the eye for various reasons.
In 2002, Renaldo returned to his country, first playing with América Futebol Clube (MG)
, and continued to represent clubs in quick succession (he also had another abroad spell, in South Korea
for FC Seoul
). He finished his career in his 40's, playing amateur football.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian footballer who plays for Vilavelhense Futebol Clube
Vilavelhense Futebol Clube
Vilavelhense Futebol Clube, commonly known as Vilavelhense, is a Brazilian football club based in Vila Velha, Espírito Santo state. They competed in the Copa do Brasil once.-History:...
as a forward.
Football career
Born in CotegipeCotegipe
Cotegipe is a municipality of Bahia with 13,833 as of 2004. The town was founded in 1820....
, Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, Renaldo played for more than 15 different clubs in his country, most notably for Clube Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro , are a Brazilian football club based in Belo Horizonte, the oldest in the city. Founded in 1908, they play in the Campeonato Mineiro and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A or Brasileirão. Atlético Mineiro have been Brazilian champions once, state winners a record 40 times and...
. During his entire career, he only missed two penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
s – both in the same match, a 3–0 home win against Figueirense Futebol Clube
Figueirense Futebol Clube
Figueirense Futebol Clube, also known as Figueirense, is a Brazilian football team in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina.-History:In 1921, the club was founded as Figueirense Foot-ball Club. The club is named Figueirense after the neighborhood where it is located, in Centro neighborhood). Figueirense...
– and left for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in 1996 to sign with Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
. Also during that year, he gained his sole cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the Brazilian national team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
.
Upon his arrival in A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
, he said, while describing himself as a player: "I am like Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
, but with an "e"". However, he grossly failed to live up to expectations, also spending time with three other teams in the country (all in Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
). In the following decade, a humorous Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
called Renaldinhos y Pavones was created, containing anecdotes on several national and foreign players which caught the eye for various reasons.
In 2002, Renaldo returned to his country, first playing with América Futebol Clube (MG)
América Futebol Clube (MG)
América Futebol Clube is a traditional Brazilian football team from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, founded on April 30, 1912....
, and continued to represent clubs in quick succession (he also had another abroad spell, in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
for FC Seoul
FC Seoul
FC Seoul is a South Korean professional football club based in Seoul, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. It is currently owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS Group....
). He finished his career in his 40's, playing amateur football.