Romário

Who is Romário?

Brazilian footballer Romario was one of the greatest strikers that have ever played the game and throughout his career as a top level footballer he shone for both the various clubs he played for as well as the Brazilian national team. Romario emerged as a teenage sensation in the mid 1980s in Brazil and after shining for Vasco da Gama and the Brazilian national team in major international tournaments he moved to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven that really propelled him into the limelight. After scoring at a staggering rate for five seasons he then went on to play for Barcelona in one of their most famous teams under Johann Cryuff. Romario’s greatest moment as a footballer came in the year 1994 when he led Brazil to their 4th World Cup triumph in the United States and three years later he won the Copa America. He played on at the highest level of Brazilian club football till the age of 39 and kept scoring consistently despite waning powers. After his retirement from professional football, Romario entered politics and established a successful career. He opposed Brazil’s decision to host the World Cup in 2014 due to the huge costs involved.

Career

Romario performed very well for the youth team at Vasco da Game and after winning a couple of titles for the team he was selected for the Brazilian national team. He represented Brazil at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and ended as the top scorer in the tournament as the team ended up winning the silver medal. Two years hence, Romario was instrumental in winning the Copa America as he scored the winning goal in the final.

Following his exploits for the Brazilian national team, Romario was bought by Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in 1988 and it was in the Netherlands that he came into prominence. During his five years at the club he scored a staggering 125 goals and led the team to three league titles as well as a cup.

In 1990, Romario went to the World Cup in Italy to represent Brazil but a lack of match fitness meant he could play only a peripheral role. However, four years later in the World Cup in USA, Romario scored five goals in the tournament and led Brazil to a record breaking 4th title.

After his show for PSV Eindhoven, Romario made a move to Spanish giants Barcelona in 1993 and became an integral part of the team that came to be known as the ‘Dream Team’. Romario was a prolific goal scorer during his time at the club, scoring 46 goals in 34 appearances and helped the club win a league title. He left Barcelona two years later.

In 1995 Romario joined Brazilian club Flamengo and during his five year stint at the club, he had two unsuccessful spell in Spain with Valencia. Two years after joining Flamengo, Romario helped Brazil win the Copa America after forming a lethal striking partnership with Ronaldo. The following year he was not selected for Brazil in the World Cup to be held in France since he could not recover from an injury.

Romario moved to Brazilian club Vasco da Gama in the year 2000 and during his stint at the club for two seasons he led them to the Brazilian league title as well as the ‘Copa Mercosur’. He scored 41 goals in a total of 46 appearances for the club. He then moved to Fluminense after that and followed a short unhappy spell with Al Sadd in Qatar.

Romario returned to Vasco da Gama in 2005 and scored 22 goals in the season, making him the highest goal scorer. After that he had a short stint at Miami FC and also played a few games for Australian league side Adelaide United FC. He also served as player-manager at his old club Vasco da Gama but he was sacked as manager after running into trouble with the owner and then tested positive for a banned substance which ended his role as a player.

Romario joined politics post his playing career and in 2010 entered the Chamber of Deputies as a member of the Brazilian Socialist Party. Four years later Romario became a member of the Brazilian senate after getting the record number of votes for any candidate from Rio de Janeiro in history.