Was 28-Year-Old Marco van Basten Really Better Than Ronaldo?

Was 28-Year-Old Marco van Basten Really Better Than Ronaldo? Was 28-Year-Old Marco van Basten Really Better Than Ronaldo? By Arnab Kabir | Sports | September 8, 2023 Midnight, sometime in 1992. Marco van Basten wakes up abruptly. He needs to go to the bathroom, but he's curled up in pain. His ankle injury, one he’s carried since the age of 20, has become unbearable. Just two years prior, he had won the Ballon d'Or. He had already been selected for FIFA's Best XI. By the age of 26, Van Basten had already claimed three Ballon d'Or trophies. He wasn’t just a footballing hero anymore—he was walking toward legend status. But that walk ended at just 28 years old. In 1993, in the Champions League final at Munich’s Olympic Stadium, Van Basten played his last professional match. AC Milan lost to Marseille that night. The next two years were spent battling his injury. Eventually, he had to concede defeat to his failing ankle and retire...