This all sounds a bit unrealistic. Kasabian are these days more commonly found playing headline shows at Glastonbury or Leeds and Reading.

Indeed, it is a little too good to be true. What I’m actually watching here is not the real Kasabian. It’s Kazabian, the world’s first tribute to the Leicester band.

Kasabian or Kazabian? The tribute act looked very similar to the real thing, and sounded pretty good too.

Regular readers of this here blog (there are a few!) will know my obsession with Kasabian borders on the insane, so I’ll admit to being a little apprehensive as to what the copycats would be like. But I have to say they very much brought the Kasabian essence to Winterton.

Meighan’s doppelganger accurately portrayed the singer’s energy and enthusiasm, while the guitarist made for a frighteningly realistic Serge Pizzorno lookalike.

Sound wise they were pretty impressive too, encapsulating the crowd with many a singsong, and rounding off with the rabble-rousing Fire.

The only track that I felt was a little flat was Switchblade Smiles, although it must be difficult to achieve that thundering sound within the confines of a tent.

Aside from that, it was a cracking set. And bonus points for including (and doing justice to) my favourite song I.D.

Preceding that, The Stone Roses tribute, The Real Stone Roses, had kicked things off nicely, again with some excellent renditions of original Roses material. The lead singer also had the necessary cocky swagger of Ian Brown.

The night was rounded off with the high octane music of The Prodigy in the shape of their tribute Jilted Generation, although I must say I was slightly disappointed by this performance. It seemed mainly to entail very little lyrical input and a little too much bouncing around the stage (I guess this could be argued to be accurate of the real Prodigy too though!).

Several local bands also performed earlier on to warm things up nicely, and all in all it was a good day. I’d certainly recommend a Fake Festival as a cheap way to listen to good music.

Having seen the real Kasabian five times in concert, in my mind I know there’s nothing that will ever rival a Kasabian gig. But the show that Kazabian put on was as good as any tribute could hope to be, and they definitely stole the show on Saturday.

Thumbs up from me!

It was billed by Channel 4 as: “Brand new four-part observational documentary series, Skint tells provocative and revealing stories from the inside out about how people survive without work.”

However, the farcical scenes broadcast on national television did little to actually address the main issue of why these people were suffering from financial hardship. Instead, we witnessed an hour of belittling and stereotyping that portrayed Scunthorpe in a frankly terrible light.

Dean and family, ball bag withheld. Photo: Channel 4

The disclaimer here is that the programme was filmed in the Westcliff estate of the town, commonly known as the least glamorous location in Scunny.

Even the narrator’s opening statement (‘Ahhh, Scunthorpe’) was as condescending as they come. He might as well have slipped in the ever-hilarious (not) ‘who put the c*** in Scunthorpe?’

Admittedly, the cretinous characters that formed the focal point of the documentary were as embarrassing as You can imagine. It almost felt as if each new scene plumbed new depths of social ineptitude.

The main ringleader was big Dean, father or step-father to 7 kids, refusing to work on the grounds that “I’ve worked for 23 years, I think I deserve something back from the social.” Logic obviously isn’t the guy’s strongest point though, with his passionate promises that he’ll even go without beer so that his offspring are looked after (great priorities), sandwiched in between cut scenes of him swearing and setting an untold number of terrible examples to the lost causes that are his children.

Dean’s skint lifestyle had him repairing broken windows as a sideline, buying knock-off meat from the backs of cars, and quite incredibly, culminated in him bearing his ball bag for all to see after his vasectomy surgery was complete. Did the country need this? Were we really so desperate for an eye full of chav scrotum? I doubt it.

We also saw one of Dean’s step-daughters grounded for her role in some shoplifting with her friends. This was something she clearly regretted, and there was a poignant moment where she became quite emotional about not seeing her real father.

And yet this engaging moment soon faded into oblivion with the continued antics of the other local idiots, chief of whom was the buck toothed bell end Connor. This guy’s days seemed to revolve around not going to school, stealing mopeds, calling his mum a slag (amongst other things), and generally acting like a complete and utter tool.

Other cameos included various thieves, criminals and prostitutes.

And yet we came to the end of the documentary which had set out to explore the reasons for poverty and how the people of this town cope with them, with only this knowledge: Everybody in Scunthorpe is poor, steals for a living, and lives in squalor.

Clearly not true. Show me a town where these type of people don’t exist in some area, and I’ll show you a liar.

Skint was not at all representative of the majority of the Scunthorpe folk who work hard for a living and do their bit for the local economy. But then I guess that wouldn’t make for entertaining TV would it?

Can’t wait to see what high jinks and japes Dean and co will provide in next week’s episode.

Was it the way the band nonchalantly strolled on stage to the Jaws theme tune before launching straight into their customary high octane performance, leading with Days Are Forgotten?

Was it that they grabbed everybody’s attention with a familiar opening salvo, and then just as everybody was getting comfortable, threw a curve-ball by playing the first album classic Reason Is Treason, a welcome return to the set list.

Maybe it was the way that the elongated, mystical intro to the sublime I.D. melted into the evening’s proceedings, or the outrageous Clockwork Orange trumpet solo that preceded Take Aim. Or the stunning deployment of the rare B-side Black Whistler, that just for a moment or two silenced an awe-struck audience.

Serge doing his thing.

Perhaps the highlight was Serge asking the local townsfolk: “How are you doing, you Yorkshire puddings?” Or when he volleyed a stray beach ball back out into the crowd mid-set.

Or maybe when Tom Meighan, realising early on just how mad-for-it the crowd were, picked up his mic stand and held it aloft, enticing the public to sing his band’s own songs back to him.

It’s hard to conceive that so much action could take place in one night in what was essentially a sports hall. And yet we haven’t even mentioned the stunning rendition of Fatboy Slim’s Praise You that segued seamlessly and beautifully into the Kasabian favourite L.S.F. Such was the brilliance and boisterousness of the occasion, it’s hardly a surprise that the room was at this point filled with a pink haze as somebody held a smoke flare into the Doncaster night.

L.S.F. complete with smoke flare.

But with their adoring fans on the ropes from the pulsating performance, maybe the peak of the night was the encore; designed surely to finish off a wounded animal. A thumping, energy-sapping hat-trick of heavy hits. Switchblade Smiles, Vlad The Impaler, and Fire. To hold a crowd for such a duration of time is an achievement in itself, and yet to command them as Serge did and have them obey is something else. “I wanna see everyone in this room jumping as high as they fucking can”, he ordered. And jump they did.

An incredible end to a quite remarkable performance. But the entire thing has left me scratching my head… just what was the best bit about it? I can’t decide, but then do I really need to? For me, the entire evening was just one huge highlight.

Were you there? What was your highlight?

Having crossed my mind the other day, I decided to do a bit of research on the mystery man, and was surprised to find that he is still alive and kicking, and has returned to the music scene in the shape of his new venture, Black Onassis.

Black Onassis: Chris Karloff (centre) is joined by bandmates Brad Conroy (left) and Nick Forde.

Though Kasabian have gone on to become one of Britain’s biggest bands, it is impossible to ignore the contribution made by Karloff as a founding member; after all, he was responsible for most of the songwriting on the hit self-titled debut album, including hits such as Club Foot and L.S.F.

Many fans have suggested that since Karloff’s departure, Kasabian have never been the same band. For me, Serge Pizzorno has done an excellent job of taking on the creative responsibility, and the band have recovered well from that tumult to continually produce high quality output.

Nevertheless, Karloff was, and seemingly still is, a talented musician. Having learnt of his latest band, I decided to visit their website and listen to the three tracks that have already been made available.

Karloff’s early Kasabian influence is apparent in a heavy way; psychedelic electonic riffs with edgy guitars and big bass lines. And I have to say I’m pretty impressed.

Karloff was always a character who provoked intrigue, and here is another teaser of his abilities. The tracks seem to feature vocals from guests, the highlight being the appearance of former Cooper Temple Clause frontman Ben Gautrey on the standout track Brain, which you can enjoy below.

An album is rumoured to be in the pipeline, though details are sketchy. It is certainly something I’ll be looking out for though.

For now, it is worth considering that Black Onassis may be an interesting insight into the direction that Kasabian may have taken had Karloff remained in the band.

The hotly anticipated follow-up to 2009′s Mercury Prize nominated West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum has roared straight into the UK album charts at number one, and with good reason.

This album shows a band approaching the very top of their game, as well as displaying a growing maturity.

At first it strikes you as being different. The opening track, Let’s Roll Just Like We Used To, is no banger like their previous efforts, instead a more intriguing and tempting start, almost mellow in its delivery. It lures the listener in. And track three, Goodbye Kiss, is a heartbreaker of a song that sounds like a 50′s pop effort; the first real love song Kasabian have recorded.

But having made a name for themselves with big tunes, it would be foolish for the Leicester lads to deviate too much from the road that brought them so much success. The heavier tracks on this album are absolute mammoths.

Perhaps the highlight is Re-wired, a trademark Kasabian song. Chainsaw guitars, thudding beats and heavy bass all enrobing lead singer Tom Meighan belting out a sing-your-heart-out chorus: “Hit me! Harder! I’m getting re-wired!” It sounds sensational on record, but if ever there was a song made for the live arena, here it is. It’s not hard to imagine this track being hammered out in arenas across the country on the forthcoming tour.

The title track is equally impressive, an outlandish and simply outrageously good fun piece of rock pop, again with a catchy chorus: “Velociraptor! He’s gonna find ya, he’s gonna eat ya, he’s gonna kill ya!”.

As per usual, the album boasts plenty of bonkers lyrics born from the mind of writer Serge Pizzorno; “You were sat at home chewing on monkey brains” (Days Are Forgotten), and “I went out for some milk three days ago, I met Dali in the street, he knocked my off my feet” (La Fee Verte).

Pizzorno readily admitted recently that he couldn’t remember writing most of the album but that the only narcotic he’d used was a lack of sleep resulting from the rigours of fatherhood and looking after his one-year-old son Ennio.

But tracks like the aforementioned La Fee Verte suggest that Pizzorno is reaching his zenith as a song-writer. The song is a psychedelic tribute, or perhaps an ode, to hallucinations produced from drinking absinthe, and the lyrics are suitably detached from reality. “Pass me over La Fee Verte, I’ll give you all a scare”, sings Serge as he takes lead on this track. Even the distorted fairground organ introduction to the track makes the listener feel as though they themselves are whirling around into a make-believe stupor.

Emphatic return: Kasabian

Serge pledged that this would be a “juke box” album, full of sing-along classics, and he’s made good on his promise. Every track has a different influence or direction; it’s a real smorgasbord of styles and sounds.

Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter From The Storm) is another highlight, heavily influenced by Eurasian sounds, and I Hear Voices is a trippy track with a hooky synth melody throughout.

Man of Simple Pleasures is a standard album-filler type track, but even that has a chorus that can embed itself into the minds of listeners.

Lead single Switchblade Smiles is another belter, while the extraordinary aural assault is rounded off in poetic fashion with the melodious Neon Noon.

Noel Gallagher once said that if Kasabian did their job properly, people wouldn’t need Oasis in a few years. Oasis have now gone, and their mantle is Kasabian’s for the taking.

In terms of Kasabian’s fourth album, it’s job done.

Follow-up second album Welcome To The North was also well received, but drug and alcohol problems for lead singer Robert Harvey meant that The Music disappeared from the radar for a few years, and doubts were cast over whether they would ever play again. Harvey recovered though, and they returned in 2008 with the album Strength In Numbers.

But with much damage already done, Harvey announced in 2010 his decision to leave the band, and a series of farewell concerts were organised for August 2011.

I managed to scramble a pair of tickets for their final ever show, and my girlfriend and I made the short trip to Leeds to wave goodbye to The Music.

The Music: The Last Dance

The crowd was energetic, and the band’s arrival on stage in their hometown was greeted with a chorus of cheers and chants of “Music! Music! Music!”.

Launching into early classics The Dance and Take The Long Road And Walk It, they were impressive, with Harvey clearly enjoying himself every bit as much as the fans who sung along to their favourite numbers.

The early part of the set was a thunderous and frantic opening, consisting of upbeat, high tempo songs with buzzing guitars and deep bass lines.

There was some respite as they slowed things down with the inclusion of softer tunes Human and Too High, though Drugs seemed to be a poor inclusion on the set list, with Harvey struggling to hit the high chorus notes that make it such a brilliant album track.

Despite that blip though, the quality was turned up again with a blistering version of Getaway, and an epic main set closer; the instrumental Walls Get Smaller.

As it was the last ever show, The Music treated those in attendance to a slightly longer set, with the inclusion of B-Side Jag Tune that was well received, and then a sensational rendition of Bleed From Within.

Robert Harvey: Overcame personal problems to deliver a knockout last tour.

And so it came down to the last ever live song performed by The Music. “This one is for those people who said we would never make it” bellowed Harvey defiantly. Few in the crowd could have been displeased with the way the curtain came down on The Music, with a mind blowing sing along of The People, sung by Harvey with all the emotion and pride of a man who really had experienced every high and low possible on his incredible ten year journey through the music industry, but who had never forgotten his roots.

In front of his adoring home crowd, Harvey embraced his band mates after their pulsating set, and left the stage in the same way as he had entered; with the cheers and whistles of thousands ringing in his ears.

This was a sensational performance from a band who, despite all their troubles, had remained loyal to their dreams and repaid those fans who had supported them all the way with a quite brilliant concert.

The Music will be sorely missed on the British music scene.

Rating: 9/10

The Set List:

- Main Set -

The Dance
Take The Long Road And Walk It
The Truth Is No Words
Freedom Fighters
Fire
Human
The Spike
Welcome To The North
Drugs
Too High
Strength In Numbers
Getaway
Walls Get Smaller

- Encore -

Jag Tune
Bleed From Within
The People

The band launched into a high-tempo tune with Meighan taking lead vocals and backing provided by guitarist Serge Pizzorno, who also features heavily on a pulsating chorus: “Velociraptor! He’s gonna find ya, he’s gonna kill ya, he’s gonna eat ya!”

By the time the second chorus came round, most of the crowd were singing along in appreciation of the new song.

Full of trademark Kasabian swagger and style, Velociraptor! is the title track of the band’s forthcoming album; their fourth, and follow up to the hugely successful West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

This was the first part of the night where any relative calmness was evident in the crowd, such was the frenzy of raucous debauchery that had been whipped up by Kasabian’s pulsating set so far, that had kicked off with fans’ favourite Club Foot.

They also delivered a thumping rendition of Underdog, complete with an impeccably delivered guitar solo from tour guitarist Jay Mehler.

The band then slowed the set down slightly with West Ryder… tracks Thick As Thieves and Take Aim, before ripping through old favourites Empire and The Doberman.

Kasabian's Serge Pizzorno in action at the O2 Academy, Sheffield. Saturday 4th June 2011.

The relentless hits of showmanship from Meighan and cool sophistication of Pizzorno hammering his guitar was enough to make even the sober minority in attendance feel punch drunk. The bass-heavy Vlad The Impaler stirred the Academy into riotous action once more, before the crowd indulged in a sing-along of L.S.F. which made a surprise appearance in the main set, having traditionally been used as a encore closer.

As is customary, Kasabian returned for an encore, and instantly plunged into another new number, this time introduced with a mysterious and dirty electro-synth beat that was accompanied by slow and dark lyrics, before exploding into life for an aggressive and grungy chorus. Entitled Switchblade Smiles, it was unveiled on Tuesday as the first single from the new album, and if at’s as well received as it was by the Sheffield crowd, Kasabian are onto a winner. (Press play to listen to the recorded version of Switchblade Smiles below.)

The band then turned on the style with a rousing cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love, which melted into their hit Stuntman.

And they finished with an elongated version of 2009 hit Fire, which again sparked wild scenes in the crowd, and as Kasabian left the stage, the o2 Academy emptied to the sound of the “woo-ooh-woo-ooh” refrain of the last song.

Overall it was typical Kasabian; a relentless, ear-splitting, headache inducing performance, and the new tracks served only to whet the appetite of the fans who are doubtless desperate to hear the rest of the new album.

Rating: 10/10

The Set List:

- Main Set -

Club Foot
Where Did All The Love Go?
Underdog
Shoot The Runner
Velociraptor!
Cutt Off
Thick As Thieves
Take Aim
Empire
The Doberman
Fast Fuse
Vlad The Impaler
LSF

- Encore -

Switchblade Smiles
I Feel Love/ Stuntman
Fire

For four teams, the season is decided over a two legged semi-final, and if successfully negotiated, comes down to a single 90-minute slog between the two finalists in a showpiece showdown.

With promotion at stake, you’d be forgiven for thinking teams would err on the side of caution, with defensive and cagey games the order of the day. But there’s something about these nail-biting, arse-cheek clenching fixtures that sends teams goal crazy as we bare witness to a myriad of twists, turns, tantrums and total football carnage.

Regular readers will know I’m a Scunthorpe United fan, and I’ve experienced both sides of the play-off coin. I remember vividly The Iron knocking out Swansea in the 1999 Division Three (now League Two) semi with a dramatic extra time win, before beating Leyton Orient in the final. Scunthorpe were also involved in a topsy-turvy final 10 years later at the new Wembley, eventually emerging 3-2 victors over Millwall. And all that after reaching the final thanks to a pulsating penalty shoot-out win over MK Dons.

Yet in 2003, it was play-off despair in the Division 3 semis, this time with the added insult of being dumped out by local rivals Lincoln City. 3-0 down in the first (away) leg, United clawed back to 3-3, before letting in two more, and then succumbing 1-0 on their own patch for a bitter defeat.

So I know first hand just what the play-offs can do to a football supporter, but it’s not just in England where the drama is this intense. Let’s spare a thought for supporters of the Dutch sides Groningen and ADO Den Haag.

In Holland, the last European place is settled by a play-off. 4th placed plays 7th place, while 5th plays 6th in a two legged semi-final. The two winners then play each other, again over two legs, for a place in the Europa League second qualifying round. Got it? Okay.

Den Haag got to the final thanks to a 6-3 aggregate victory over Roda JC, while Groningen won through on the away goals rule after a 4-4 aggregate score with Heracles (Groningen scored two away goals compared with Heracles one).

Den Haag, looking to qualify for Europe for only the second time, destroyed their opponents in the first leg of the final, making home advantage count with a 5-1 demolition of Groningen.

On the brink: Den Haag thought their 5-1 home win in the first leg would be enough to see off Groningen. Photo from Eurosport.

Three days later, the sides met again for the second leg; seemingly a dead rubber. Groningen managed to draw first blood, but Den Haag scored just before half time to make it 1-1 on the night and 2-6 on aggregate, surely booking their place in Europe.

Not so. In the second period, Groningen embarked on a comeback of simply biblical proportions, scoring three inside the opening 15 minutes of the half. Den Haag weathered the storm but with just one goal in it, Groningen were handed their golden chance to inconceivably level the tie when they were awarded a penalty kick in the 88th minute. Leading scorer Tim Matavz duly dispatched the spot-kick to complete the comeback to end all comebacks, and send the game to extra-time.

With both sides having won their home leg 5-1, it seemed incredible that the 30 minute extra-time period stayed goalless, but it did, and a penalty shoot-out was needed to separate the teams.

So after their Lazarus-esque comeback, it was surely a dead cert that Groningen, with the wind in their sails, would go on to seal the victory in the shoot-out, and secure European football for next season.

Hero to villain: Groningen's Tim Matavz

Nope. A shell-shocked Den Haag team somehow managed to drag themselves off the canvass and land the knock-out blow in a simply enthralling pair of fixtures, winning the shoot-out 4-3. In predictable fashion, hero Matavz turned into the Groningen villain, smashing the decisive penalty against the crossbar. Unbelievable.

So there you have it, the play-offs aren’t just bonkers in Britain, but also on the continent.

After all, it was Noel who penned the vast majority of the band’s material, and often those songs written by Liam were perhaps not the best.

It was with some interest then, that I listened to Different Gear, Still Speeding; the debut album from Liam’s new band Beady Eye; fronted by Liam himself and featuring his former Oasis bandmates Andy Bell (bass), Gem Archer (guitar) and Chris Sharrock (drums).

Familiar line-up: Liam Gallagher's new band Beady Eye consists of the snarling front man and his former Oasis band mates

After their acrimonious split, I was eager to see how Liam would cope without the calmer influence of “our kid”. In short, I was pleasantly surprise.

The album is by no means a masterpiece, but there are plenty of highlights, in particular the singles The Roller, Four Letter Word, and Bring The Light.

Musical influences are evident throughout (there is even a track called Beatles and Stones), but Gallagher’s lyrics drive home the message that this new project is here to stay: “Gonna stand the test of time, like Beatles and Stones”.

The music is decent enough with some snappy beats and catchy riffs, and final track The Morning Son is a rousing finisher.

Gallagher remains an instantly recognisable vocalist with his snarling, aggressive manner, though that’s no bad thing; that trademark has won him a loyal army of followers over his distinguished career.

Overall, it’s not a bad return from Manchester’s prodigal son.

Different Gear, Still Speeding is definitely a case of different band, still Liam.

Verdict: Better than perhaps anticipated. 7/10

The Brazilian striker Ronaldo hung up his boots after finally succumbing to years of injury problems that blighted much of his sparkling career.

It was a sorry end to a journey that started and finished in Ronaldo’s homeland, sandwiching stops at top level footballing outposts like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and both Milan clubs.

In his prime, Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima was one of, if not the most feared attacker in the game.

Instantly recognisable with his shaven head and buck teeth, Ronaldo possessed a blistering turn of pace and a frightening eye for goal.

Lightning quick: Ronaldo was so fast the camera could barely keep up.

His nickname, O Fenômeno (The Phenomenon) was the clearest indicator of his standing in the game, such was the awe he inspired in those who watched him.

Ronaldo’s career began at Cruzeiro in his homeland, where he scored 12 goals in 14 appearances. He was taken to the 1994 World Cup but was an unused member of Brazil’s winning squad. Despite not getting on the pitch, Ronaldo was already stirring excitement among football followers the world over.

PSV Eindhoven of Holland secured Ronaldo’s signature that summer, and the hitman repaid them with thirty goals in his debut season. The following year his progress was blighted by a knee injury that would sadly become a customary part of Ronaldo’s career. Despite the problems though, he still scored 12 times in 13 games.

Ronaldo's scoring record for Barcelona was sensational

His scintillating goalscoring record alerted the attentions of Europe’s elite clubs, and Barcelona, managed by Sir Bobby Robson, secured his signature. Ronaldo played for only one season at the Nou Camp, but left an indelible mark on the club. He scored a sensational 47 goals in 49 appearances, firing the Catalan side to two domestic cup titles and also scoring the winner in the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup final.

Aged just 20 years old, Ronaldo became the youngest winner of FIFA’s World Player of the Year award after his breathtaking season.

Despite his form for Barca, Ronaldo was soon on the move again after Italian side Inter bought out the remainder of his contract.

Ronaldo’s form followed him to the San Siro where he scored 59 goals in 99 games, scoring in Inter’s UEFA Cup final win in 1998. However, a ruptured tendon in his knee meant he made only a handful of appearances between 2000 and 2002, with several comebacks stalled by recurrences of the injury.

Despite his fitness struggles, Real Madrid broke the transfer record to sign Ronaldo and take him back to Spain. Two goals on his debut only reinforced the excitement of the Madrid supporters, as Ronaldo’s goals helped them to the La Liga title.

One of his finest performances in a Madrid came in England as they knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage. Ronaldo scored a sensational hat trick, and was given a standing ovation by the United fans when he was substituted late on.

It was a lethal display of finishing that reminded everyone just what this incredible striker was capable of. But later that season, Ronaldo was again injured and Madrid contrived to end the season without silverware, despite looking hot favourites for a treble. It was no coincidence that Madrid’s form nose-dived during Ronaldo’s absence.

After Madrid signed Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo found it hard to force his way back into the team following more injury problems and weight issues that seemed to worsen as his career wound down.

He eventually ended up back at the San Siro, this time with Milan,  though his time with the Rossoneri took a familiar path; injuries restricting him to just 20 appearances, in which he scored 9 goals.

Injuries blighted Ronaldo's career

He ruptured knee ligaments in his left knee during a match with Livorno, and left the field in tears on a stretcher. Concerned supporters believed that Ronaldo had played his last ever game.

He did recover though, and elected to sign for Corinthians of Brazil to see out the rest of his playing days, helping the club to the league title in his first season. After they were knocked out of the Copa Libertadores this season, Ronaldo announced his decision to retire, finally admitting defeat against the injury battles that had littered his career.

“”It’s very hard to leave something that made me so happy. Mentally I wanted to continue but I have to acknowledge that I lost to my body,” he said.

Even though Ronaldo’s career was halted countless times by injuries, he still goes down in history as one of the greatest players ever; and one of only two men to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times, the other being his one-time Madrid team-mate Zinedine Zidane.

One of the barometers of a players’ success these days is whether or not they can perform on the world stage; often great players are accused of not being able to cut it on the biggest stage of all.

But Ronaldo confirmed his status as a world class player with his performances for the Brazil national team, scoring 62 goals in 97 games for the Selecao.

Ronaldo is also the highest scoring player at World Cups after his double against Japan in 2006 took him above Gurd Muller in the all-time scoring charts.

He added a further strike against Ghana to take his tally in World Cup matches to 15, a sensational record by anybody’s standards.

Despite all the health problems, Ronaldo was undoubtedly a superb striker whose magic moments should be savoured.

It is a disservice to him these days that people refer to him as “real Ronaldo”, or “Brazilian Ronaldo”, or “Originaldo” to distinguish him from his Portuguese namesake Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo was a unique player, and deserves a unique moniker.

Long live O Fenômeno.