Former PSV striker Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima celebrated his 50th birthday on 22nd September, marking another milestone in the career of one of the most prolific forwards ever to play for the Eindhoven club.

Ronaldo arrived at PSV from Brazil in 1994 as a 17-year-old. He was already a highly regarded talent, but life in the Netherlands brought several unfamiliar challenges for the teenage striker.

One of them was driving.

Ronaldo bought a car soon after arriving in Eindhoven, despite not having a valid Dutch driving licence. For nine months, PSV player liaison Mart van den Heuvel drove the young Brazilian from his apartment in the city centre to training at De Herdgang.

“Ronaldo was really just a kid, but already very popular here, and he actually listened when you said something to him,” Van den Heuvel recalled, as quoted by omroepbrabant.nl.

Ronaldo, like fellow Brazilian star Romário, had to adapt quickly to conditions that were very different from those he had known in Brazil.

Van den Heuvel remembers one particularly memorable incident involving Romário, who called him on a freezing winter morning to say his car had broken down.

“When I went to pick him up, it turned out his windshield was frozen over,” Van den Heuvel said.

Ronaldo's situation was different. He already had a car, but his provisional Brazilian licence was not valid in the Netherlands.

“He had obtained a provisional license in Brazil, but that wasn't valid in the Netherlands,” said John Dekker, whose driving school was brought in to help the teenage striker obtain his Dutch licence.

Dekker personally taught Ronaldo, who was still only 17 and already attracting considerable attention wherever he went.

Dekker remembers the young striker's technical ability behind the wheel, although some aspects of his driving needed work.

“His driving skills were excellent, of course, but his scanning, his awareness of his surroundings, and his anticipation; the things we actually train for were far from elite-level.”

Driving lessons through Eindhoven proved to be an experience in themselves. Ronaldo's growing popularity meant that ordinary journeys could quickly become chaotic.

“It was incredible how quickly people recognized him,” Dekker recalled.

The driving instructor had previously helped famous athletes, including Olympic swimming champion Pieter van den Hoogenband, obtain their licences. But the reaction to Ronaldo was on another level.

“People crowding around the car, girls sitting on the hood... it was great fun.”

Ronaldo's choice of car also reflected his status. Shortly after arriving in Eindhoven, the teenager bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

However, he was not satisfied with it for long.

“After just a week, he’d already traded it in because he didn't like the sunroof,” Dekker said.

More significantly, the driving lessons were not simply arranged as part of Ronaldo's normal adaptation to life in the Netherlands.

Thirty-two years later, Dekker has revealed that the young striker had been involved in a minor collision near De Herdgang.

“Ronaldo had caused a minor collision near De Herdgang. Nothing serious, but it was the reason PSV decided to send him for driving lessons.”

The decision helped PSV avoid what could have developed into an unwanted situation surrounding their teenage star.

Ronaldo passed his driving test on his first attempt.

On the pitch, his numbers at PSV were extraordinary. The Brazilian scored 54 goals in 57 matches, establishing himself as one of the most effective strikers in the club's history.

Three decades later, the story of the teenage Ronaldo learning to navigate Eindhoven's streets offers another glimpse into the early days of a career that would eventually make him a global football icon.