No one does it better than Ronaldo!

Germany: On a team of famous one-namers, there is only one you need to know: Ronaldo.

He's not to be confused with Ronaldinho, Robinho, Ze Roberto or any other brilliant Brazilian "o".

He may have lost a step or two, and no one will ever describe him as svelte. Ronaldinho has surpassed him on many levels.

When it comes to the World Cup, though, not even Pele, the trendsetter for soccer's single-name elite, is Ronaldo's equal.

"He is a player that records belong to him," Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said Tuesday.

"He is again on top of every player in the world. He's scored more goals than any player at the World Cup. His name is on top."

And it will take a very special player to knock him off.

Ronaldo scored his 15th goal in 18 World Cup matches in Brazil's 3-0 victory over Ghana on Tuesday, making him the tournament's all-time scoring leader. Pele, Diego Maradona, Lothar Matthaeus, Berti Vogts, Bebeto - none of them did what Ronaldo has done.

"It was never my goal" to break the record, he said. "It just happened match after match."

He may not be done yet, either. Ronaldo has three goals in the last two games. If Brazil wins a sixth title, and it's the favorite, Ronaldo will have three more games to add to his goal haul.

"I want to continue to increase the record," he said, "but without forgetting that the main goal in the World Cup is winning the title."

There are plenty who will argue that Pele is the best the game has ever seen. A three-time world champion, he played with a joy and grace that enchanted the world.

People who never cared about soccer watched simply to see him, and he remains an icon to those who only know him from the stories.

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He is still the youngest player to score at a World Cup, and finished with 12 goals in four World Cup appearances. He is Brazil's career scoring leader with 95 goals in 114 matches.

But when it comes to the biggest stage, Ronaldo has him beat. He has bumped Pele to fourth on the list of all-time goals, and he could equal Pele's three World Cup titles in the July 9 final in Berlin.

"Ronaldo is a special player," Parreira said. "He's a player for the big and good moments."

A player for the tough moments, too.

Already a two-time FIFA player of the year, Ronaldo missed four months in 1999 when he tore up his knee while with

Inter Milan and needed surgery. His first match back was the 2000 Italian Cup final - and it almost ended his career.

Six minutes after coming into the game, he twisted his knee and had to be carried, weeping, off the field on a stretcher.

He would miss almost 17 months, and his appearance at the 2002 World Cup was hardly a given. Even when he made the team, few expected him to be anything close to the old Ronaldo.

But there is something about the World Cup that brings out Ronaldo's best.

He scored a tournament-best eight goals in seven games in 2002, helping Brazil to an unbeaten record and its fifth World Cup title, scoring both goals in the championship game. He was world player of the year for a third time.

His challenge this time around might have been even greater. At 29, he's no longer the quick, dazzling player he once was.

Those extra kilos he's packed on over the years don't help. His personal life makes him the stuff of tabloid fodder.

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He played sparingly - and quietly - for Real Madrid last season because of a series of injuries, and it was clear his aura was gone. Former French star Michel Platini said Ronaldo "has too many years" and was "carrying too many kilos." Even Pele knocked him.

When he showed up for training camp, he wasn't allowed to play with his friends because he was overweight and out of shape.

Brazil's president touched off a spat that spanned the Atlantic Ocean when he asked if Ronaldo was fat.

And after uninspiring performances in Brazil's first two games, against Croatia and Australia, some even suggested he be dropped from the starting lineup. Pele would never have gotten dissed like that.

"Ronaldo is important for what he represents to the national team," Parreira said then. "He still deserves to be trusted."

As if to remind everyone why, Ronaldo scored twice in Brazil's final group game against Japan. On Tuesday, he scored one of the most dazzling goals of the World Cup.

In the fifth minute, he bolted past three defenders to get a perfect through pass from Kaka.

Going one-on-one with Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson, Ronaldo gave the ball a tap and then used a stepover move that sent Kingson flailing to the ground. Looking as if he was going to fake right, Ronaldo danced his foot back over and around the ball as Kingson fell over.

With the goal empty, Ghana defender John Pantsil sprinted to try and cut Ronaldo off.

It's done many times these days, but not this time. From about 10 meters out, Ronaldo gave the ball a little shove with the side of his right foot.

As the ball settled into the net, Ronaldo screamed for joy. Kaka and Adriano bear-hugged him, and the rest quickly piled on, turning him into a human mosh pit.

"It was," teammate Roberto Carlos said, "perfect."

At the World Cup, there is still no one who does it better.