Touching down in Barcelona, Ronaldo was one of a raft of new signings arriving at the Nou Camp after a change of regime at the Blaugrana. Long-term coach Johan Cruyff had departed after eight years in charge, and many of his 'dream team' of the early to mid 1990s had departed. New coach Bobby Robson had been brought in to bring back the glory years to Catalunya, and had brought in the likes of Laurent Blanc, Luís Enrique, and fellow Brazilian Giovanni to partner O Fenomeno.
Ronaldo hardly took any time to settle in to life at one of the world's biggest clubs, scoring five times in his first five league matches. Barça's incredible forward line tore defences to pieces, putting eight past Logro in October and six past Real Valladolid the following month.
Ronaldo's personal form arguably hit a peak during the month of October, scoring his now famous goal against Compostela, where he dribbled half the length of the field and scored an extraordinary goal that left coach Robson staring in disbelief. A week later he drilled a hat-trick past Valencia as defences simply crumbled around him.
His form cooled a little in the middle of the season, perhaps unsurprising given how electric he had been, coupled with the fact that the Seleção had made him the centrepiece of their campaign to retain the FIFA World Cup in France in 1998. The goals weren't long gone, however, and hat-tricks against Real Zaragoza in February and Atletico Madrid in April took him clear at the top of the scorers' charts.
In Europe Los Cules were progressing too, reaching the final of the Cup-Winners' Cup, Ronaldo finishing with five goals in the seven appearances he made in that tournament.
In a spectacular season littered with goals of every type, Ronaldo had already proved to be the greatest striker on earth, totalling 34 goals in the 37 La Liga games he played for Barç. His 37th-minute penalty against Paris-SG secured the Cup-Winners' Cup, yet it was another season of disappointment in the domestic league for Ronaldo. Despite Barcelona scoring 102 league goals and thoroughly entertaining fans everywhere, they were pipped to the post by Real Madrid, coached by wily Italian Fabio Capello.
Whether his presence in the team would have made a difference to the outcome of the season is academic, as national team commitments meant he missed the run-in for his club. One goal in four meaningless friendlies was a sorry end to a great season, although five goals in six Copa América goals brought in his first major success with the Seleção.
Sadly, relations with his club over the terms of his contract had soured beyond repair with Ronaldo saying he would not return to Barcelona.
The situation got so bad that Ronaldo decided he was moving to Internazionale whatever happened, including trying to buy out his Barça contract. Los Cules protested to FIFA, claiming this attempt to be illegal, and the governing body had to step in, eventually sanctioning an £ 18million move to Italy to join Inter.
It was a very dissatisfying end to his stellar Barcelona career and one which left a bad taste in the mouths of many fans, while also hinting at the many off-field problems that were beginning to affect the superstar.
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