Brazilian Romario is one of the few strikers who managed to score more than a thousand goals in his career. In an interview with World Soccer magazine, the legendary striker recalled his best years and explained why he went into politics.
- Are you happy that you performed at the time, and not now?
I think I was born in the right era. Never wasted time thinking about what could have been if... I don't like to get nostalgic. For me, everything worked out for the best. Essentially, after Pele, I'm the best brazilian soccer player.
Are modern players paid too much?
Football from a financial point of view Lately in general, it is developing at a rapid pace, and as a result, salaries are skyrocketing. But in my time, the players also received good money. We have nothing to complain about. Probably, those who performed in the 60s and 70s did not receive enough.
Nothing beats the feeling I had when I lifted the World Cup in 1994 over my head. It still makes my hair stand on end when I think about this moment that meant so much to a generation of players and Brazilian fans. Indeed, among the spectators there were many young men who did not see how the team won something. The last time this happened to the team before us was in 1970. I also like to remember the victory over Uruguay in 1993, and qualifying for the 94 World Cup, where I scored two goals after a year away from the national team.
- How different was the football of your era from today's?
The game has definitely deteriorated from a technical point of view, judging by the matches that I have seen. I don't want to watch anymore. IN modern sports too much emphasis on physical training and the quality of the game suffers as a result. I blame trainers for this, especially those who work with youth, where instead of teaching children correct technique, send them to Gym. Too much attention is paid to defense. I always thought that the best defense is an attack.
- If you could turn back time, what would you change?
I was not included in the national team for two World Championships (in 1998 and 2002) and for the Olympic Games in 1996 for reasons that are still a mystery to me. If I could go back, I would try to change something ...
- Which players over the past 50 years have made the greatest impression on you?
Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo, Zidane, Van Basten and Mikael Laudrup. Many are very surprised when I celebrate the latter, but it was he who was the best partner with whom I had the opportunity to play. He played equally well with both feet and gave brilliant passes. As a striker, I couldn't have dreamed of a better partner.
Who has had the biggest influence on your career?
I grew up looking at Reynaldo. He was an outstanding striker who, unfortunately, never got a chance to shine at the national level due to a knee injury. He was great at finishing attacks and for a long time remained the record holder for the number of goals scored in the Brazilian championship. But my main idol was my father, Edevir. He was my best friend and mentor. My dad passed away a few years ago and I miss him a lot.
You recently embarked on a political career by winning elections to the lower house of Congress. Why did you decide to go there?
I went into politics to help people, to give them something in return, because for so many years they supported and believed in me. I am especially interested in projects to help children from low-income families and those who need special care (Romario's own daughter has Down syndrome - ed.). In politics, everything is simple: people go there who want to help others. Which is what I'm going to do.
Help from Sportbox.ru
Romario de Sousa Faria (Romario)
Position: attack
Nickname: Shorty
Was born: January 29, 1966 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Citizenship: Brazil
Height: 168 cm
Club career
1985-1988 Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
1988-1993 PSV (Holland)
1993-1994 Barcelona (Spain)
1995-1999 Flamengo (Brazil)
1996-1997 Valencia (Spain)
2000-2001 Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
2002-2004 Fluminense (Brazil)
2003 Al-Sadd (Qatar)
2005-2006 Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
2006 Miami (USA)
2006 Adelaide United (Australia)
2007 Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
2009 "America RJ" (Brazil)
International career
1985 Brazil U20 (11 caps, 11 goals)
1987-2005 Brazil national team (70 matches, 55 goals)
coaching career
2007-2008 Vasco da Gama (Brazil)
Achievements
World Champion (1994)
America's Cup winner (1989, 1997)
Confederations Cup winner (1997)
Silver medalist Olympic Games (1988)
Brazil Championship Winner (2000)
Champion of Spain (1993, 1994)
Dutch Champion (1989, 1991, 1992)
Dutch Cup winner (1989, 1990)
Four-time Carioca League champion (1987, 1988, 1996, 1999)
Mercosur Cup Winner (2000)
Dutch Footballer of the Year (1989)
The best player of the World Cup (1994)
The best football player in the world (1994)
Football Player of the Year South America (2000)
Best Brazilian Footballer (2000)
Throughout his career, Brazilian striker Romario has strived to become the second player after Pelé to reach the 1,000-goal mark. It took the brilliant football player more than twenty years to achieve this goal, but he managed to achieve what he wanted.
Romario de Sousa Faria was born on January 29, 1966 in Rio de Janeiro, where he began his football career in the Olaria team. Only at 19 did he attract the attention of the Vasco da Gama club, which took him to the youth team (the player himself subsequently became the club's best football player for at least twenty years). With Vasco da Gama, Romario won two state championships and received his first call-up to the national team. The striker deserved the first attention of the general public, becoming top scorer Olympic Games 1988. Then he was noticed by the scouts of the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, where he began his European career.
Even as a teenager, Romario acquired a very scandalous reputation when he was expelled from the Brazilian national team at youth championship peace for violating the regime. It backfired on him in Holland, where more than once he had serious disagreements with coaches and teammates. However, this did not stop him from scoring 98 goals in five seasons in the Dutch championship, winning three championships in the land of tulips and two cups.
The striker's high performance attracted the attention of European giants. So Romario ended up in the Spanish “Barcelona”, where, under the leadership of Johan Cruyff, he played along with Hristo Stoichkov, Mikael Laudrup and Ronald Koeman. In the very first season, the Brazilian helped his new team win the Spanish championship, and he scored 30 goals in 33 matches, becoming the top scorer in the Examples.
At the end of that season, Romario went to the World Cup in the United States, where the Brazilian national team got in large part due to his goals in the qualifying cycle. The attacking tandem of Romario and Bebeto led the “ball wizards” to the fourth league title, our hero scored five goals in the tournament (plus a penalty in the post-match final series against Italy) and became its best player, receiving the golden ball of the World Cup. In 1994, Romario also received the prize from FIFA for the best football player on the planet, which was more than deserved.
Played for clubs
- "Vasco da Gama" (1985-87)
- "PSV Eindhoven" (1987-92)
- Barcelona (1992-94)
- Flamengo (1995-96)
- "Valencia" (1996-98)
- Flamengo (1998-99)
- "Vasco da Gama" (2000-01)
- "Fluminense" (2002)
- "El Sadd" (2003)
- "Fluminense" (2003-04)
- "Vasco da Gama" (2005-06)
- "Miami" (2006)
- "Adelaide United" (2006)
- "Vasco da Gama" (2007)
Second season at Barcelona Brazilian striker did not work out. He played only 13 matches on the field, in which he scored four goals. After that, the football player began to wander from continent to continent, from team to team. Second Coming to spanish championship nothing gave Romario, and in two seasons he played only nine matches. In 1998, due to an injury, the football player missed the World Cup in France, and the whole world saw his tears at a press conference. Then he returned to his homeland, where he continued to abundantly replenish his scorer's account in the camp of different teams, at the same time receiving various awards from South America.
The end of his career came down to achieving that very thousand goals that he had always dreamed of. In 2005, at the age of 39, Romario managed to score twenty-two goals in the Brazilian championship, becoming its top scorer. The Brazilian managed to play in Asia for the Qatari El Sadd, and in the USA for the Miami club, and even in Australia.
In 2007, the 41-year-old forward returned to his native Vasco da Gama, in which he scored the cherished thousandth goal. It happened on May 20, 2007 in a match against the Sport Recife club, whose goal was hit by the shorty from the penalty spot. True, disputes about the number of Romario's goals are still going on, since the footballer himself counted his goals in youth teams, in friendly matches and unofficial games. But be that as it may, the very fact of a thousand goals for one player is impressive. After all, only the “King of Football” Pele in 1969 managed to do this before.
Curiously, FIFA officially congratulated Romario on his goalscoring achievement, although he officially scored 929 goals. In 2008, the footballer released a DVD with his best goals for the entire career, which included no less than 900 accurate strikes.
Romario ended his career after the doping scandal on April 15, 2008, although he was forgiven because the doping entered the body through a baldness remedy. His native club "Vasco da Gama" immortalized the number 11 for Romario, but the new team president reversed this decision.
Romario made 85 appearances for Brazil, scoring 71 goals. Last game for national team the footballer spent April 28, 2005 in a match against Guatemala, in which the “ball wizards” won 3-0, and the “shorty” chalked up the second goal.
Achievements:
World Champion: 1994
World Cup Footballer of the Year: 1994
The best football player in the world: 1994
America's Cup winner: 1989, 1997
Confederations Cup winner: 1997
Silver medalist of the Olympic Games: 1988
Brazilian Champion: 1988
Best Brazilian Footballer: 2000
South American Footballer of the Year: 2000
Champion of Spain: 1993, 1994
Top scorer of the championship of Spain: 1994
Dutch Champion: 1989, 1991, 1992
Top scorer of the Dutch championship: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
Dutch Cup winner: 1989, 1990
Carioca League Champion: 1987, 1988, 1996, 1999
Mercosur Cup winner: 2000
Included in the FIFA 100 list
This football player is unique and incomparable in his own way. The greatest talent was combined in an incredible way with the same great laziness, which did not prevent Romario from becoming one of the best strikers in the history of world football.
Romario de Sousa Faria
- Country - Brazil.
- Position - striker.
- Born: 29-01-1966.
- Height: 169 cm.
- Nickname: Shorty.
Biography and career of a football player
Like many other Brazilian boys, football for Romario was not only a favorite game and entertainment, but also the only chance to achieve something in life. I must say that Romario took full advantage of his chance.
"Vasco da Gama"
1985-1988, 2000-2001, 2005-2006, 2007
Romario returned to his native club three times, here he began his brilliant career, and completed it here. Graduated at the age of 41...
For the adult team "Vasco" Romario first played when he was 19 years old. Over the course of four seasons, he appeared regularly in the base and scored regularly - his performance was more than 0.7 goals per game.
Romario had a particularly bright season in 1988, when he scored 28 goals in 38 games for the club. Then he was invited to the first team of Brazil and left to conquer Europe.
PSV Einhoven
1988-1993
At PSV, Romario did not get along with either the coaches or the team - for 5 seasons spent at the club, he learned only one word in Dutch - “tired” and one phrase - “I want to go home”.
The constant whims of the Brazilian, his trips to nightclubs and discos, interspersed with sudden, at the height of the season, departures to his homeland (carnival is sacred) spoiled quite a few nerves for the coaches of the Dutch club.
But everyone forgave Romario, because he scored. No not like this. SCORE. 128 goals in 140 official games over five seasons is simply a fantastic result.
Romario practically did not move around the field, he could stand the whole game, explode in two episodes, but in these episodes he hit the opponents' goal. How many times, lulled by the deceptive calmness of a genius, the defenders lost their vigilance for a moment and let Romario touch the ball. And one touch was sometimes enough for him to score.
Sometimes it seemed that in order to score a goal, the miniature Brazilian had only to want it. One day, in group match In the 1992-1993 Champions League against Milan, Romario scored a breathtaking goal: standing with his back to the goal, he took the ball approximately on the goalkeeper's line, covering it with his body, managed to juggle it, and then slammed it into the near nine with a turn!
I have never seen anything like it before or since.
It was clear to everyone that Romario had long outgrown the Dutch championship, but the big clubs were in no hurry to invite a capricious star from whom one could expect any tricks, and at any time.
"Barcelona"
1993-1994
Other clubs
1995-2009
But Romario always yearned for his native country, never taking root in an alien Europe. In 1995, he signed a contract with Flamengo, after which his wanderings began: Fluminise, Vasco da Gama, short trips to Spain (Valencia), Qatar and Australia.
But Romario did not stay anywhere for more than six months, each time returning to his native Brazil.
Brazil national team
1987-1995
The club career of this one-of-a-kind football player cannot be assessed unequivocally, just like his career in the national team. On the one hand, Romario is a world champion, on the other hand, he could become a participant in five world championships, repeating the achievement, unique for a field player, established by
But, as they say, no luck. In 1986, Tele Santana did not take the 20-year-old Romario to the World Cup in Mexico, for which he was later mercilessly criticized at home. Romario did not go to the 1998 World Cup due to an injury received literally on the eve of the tournament - he was already included in the team’s application under No. tetracampeons".
And in 2002, the decision of Luis Felipe Scolari not to take Romario to the World Cup in Japan and South Korea caused a real wave of indignation of the "torsida". Moreover, Romario was healthy, just "Sergeant", with his love of order and dictatorial manners, unpredictable geniuses were not needed.
However, the winners are not judged - Scolari got the fifth and so far the last world title for Brazil.
But the 1994 World Cup was Romario's championship. He scored in five matches, four of which ended in the victory of his team, and was recognized as the best player of the tournament victorious for his team. A bunch of forwards Romario - Bebeto was the most productive in the championship.
Romario's nerves did not waver in the post-match penalty shootout against the Italians. His shot was the second, Marcio Santos and Franco Baresi did not realize their attempts before him, and Romario no longer had the right not to miss.
Romario - coach
Having tried himself as a coach in his native Vasco da Gama, Romario did not achieve anything and so far does not dare to try again, but simply enjoys life.
Titles Romario
Command
- Three-time Dutch champion.
- Two-time winner of the Dutch Cup.
- Two-time champion of Spain.
- Brazilian Champion.
- World champion.
- Winner of the Confederations Cup.
Individual
- 1989 Dutch Footballer of the Year.
- The best football player of the 1994 World Cup.
- Footballer of the Year in South America (2000).
- Footballer of the Year in Brazil (2000).
- Romario officially has 874 goals on his account, but at one time the “short man” set out to beat Pele himself by this indicator and began to keep his own count of goals.
- By this count, he scored over a thousand goals, but FIFA does not recognize this achievement, pointing out that Romario included goals scored for youth teams in the statistics.
- However, in honor of Romario's thousandth goal scored on May 21, 2007, a bronze statue of the player was erected at the San Junario Stadium (Vasco's home arena).
- The 11th number, under which Romario performed, was forever assigned to him at Vasco da Gama, but after the change in the club's leadership, the number was put back into circulation.
- In 2010, Romario was elected to the lower house of the National Congress - the Brazilian Parliament.
And one thought haunts me. Imagine that Romario, with his talent, would be hardworking and persistent, constantly working on himself, setting high goals. What heights would this genius reach then, whose game is still remembered by fans all over the world?
I don't have an answer to this question. And you?
Brazil country.
Height 169 cm
Position striker
Clubs He played for the Brazilian clubs "Olaria" (1984 - 1985),
"Vasco da Gama (1986 - 1987, 2000 - 2001),
Flamengo (1998 - 1999),
"Fluminense" (2002 - 2003),
Dutch PSV (1988 - 1993),
Spanish "Barcelona" (1993/94)
and Valencia (1996/97, 1997/98),
Qatari "Al-Shaad" (2003).
He is currently playing for Fluminense again.
Scored 874 career goals in official matches.
Titles: World Champion (1994);
America's Cup winner (1989);
Dutch Champion (1988/89, 1991/92, 1992/93);
Champion of Spain (1993/94);
Brazilian Champion (2000);
Romario. Unlucky shorty
If you ask Brazilians living in their homeland, in exile, or, say, playing in the Russian championship, who best football player modern times, most of them will answer without hesitation: "Of course, Romario!" Despite the fact that the most popular striker will soon turn 38, that his capricious character is known to almost every Brazilian housewife and - the most paradoxical - that he was actually not involved in the victory of the national team at the World Cup in Korea and Japan.
However, the hero of the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo, will pay tribute to the veteran and partner in the attack line in the qualifying round already in the first words spoken to reporters after the golden final. “The first goal against Kahn decided everything,” admits the top scorer of the tournament. “From the outside, the scoring opportunity might have seemed a bit awkward, but in fact it was a classic kick from the toe (or “pyrom”, as the players would say) a la Romario".
A year ago, Romario did not go to Korea and Japan, not because he played poorly or was unworthy of the national team. After all, at that time he was the most accurate sniper in the Brazilian championship in Vasco da Gama, and in qualifying tournament managed to score four goals. The trouble is that Romario has never been a good diplomat and always cut the truth in the eye - whether it's an opponent on the field, teammate or coach of the national team. Luiz Felipe Scolari, who stepped on the captain's bridge, did not like it right away, and he skillfully got rid of the sharp not only for scoring chances, but also for the striker's tongue. Although, without exaggeration, whole rows of demonstrators stood up to defend Romario at that time.
But this was far from the first injustice in the national team towards Shorty, as Romario is ironically called in Brazil for his short stature. As recently told me Chief Editor popular Brazilian football magazine Placar André Fontanel, Romario deserved a place in the national team for another twenty years - at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. However, the then coach of the Brazilians Tele Santana, like Oleg Romantsev in Japan, put on the old guard and chose not to notice the rising star. According to my interlocutor, this was tantamount to the fact that Feola would not have taken Pele to the 1958 World Cup.
Four years later - in 1990 - Romario was doomed to get to the world championship in Italy. Even despite the fact that by that time Torsida had lost sight of him: he moved to Holland, where he began to score regularly for PSV. Departure to Europe and the defeat of the Russians in the finals of the Olympics-88 in Seoul, Romario was forgiven a year later, when he, along with Bebeto, got Brazil the America's Cup, scoring the decisive goal at the Maracana to the Uruguayans. But then a new misfortune happened: shortly before the start of the World Cup, Shorty seriously damaged his ligaments ankle joint and, not recovering, was forced to sit out the entire tournament on the bench. Although, according to many Brazilians, if he had been in Muller's place in the decisive episode of the match with the Argentines, he probably would not have missed, even playing “on one leg”.
By the end of the next four-year cycle, in 1994, Romario was already shining at Barcelona, where he became the champion and top scorer of the Spanish championship. Such feats cannot go unnoticed even across the ocean. Nevertheless, Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira did not pay attention to the Spanish legionnaire until his team was on the brink: in the last qualifying match, Brazil was only satisfied with a victory. And Romario, who was urgently called to help, provided for her. As well as the victory in the world championship in the States - albeit in the post-match penalty shootout. It is unlikely that the 27-year-old striker then assumed that he was at the peak of his career in the national team.
After the triumph in the United States, Romario returned to his homeland, where for two years as part of Flamengo he won two Rio de Janeiro state championships and the Mercosur Cup. Soon, however, Shorty again overtook a black streak, and at the most inopportune moment. Half a month before the start of the championship, Romario was injured calf muscle right leg, which in the end almost healed, but was sent home anyway on the last day of entries for the tournament. TV shots with a super-forward crying at a press conference then went around the whole world.
And in 2002, as mentioned above, Romario "did not fit the scheme of the game" Scolari.
Another would be in his place after such troubles, he washed down or threw his boots in the trash, and he knows for himself - he continues to play and score to the delight of himself and millions of fans. Incidentally, Romario, with 874 goals, is the second scorer in Brazilian history to date, after Pelé, to break the fantastic 1,000 goals mark. “I don’t think that I will ever break the King’s record, but the closer I get to it, the more I will be proud of my retirement,” the scorer soberly argues.
By the way, despite his advanced age for a playing forward, Shorty continues to dog with coaches and football functionaries. At the end of February, for example, he fell out with the president of his current club, Fluminense, David Fischel, and went on a voluntary three-month exile in Qatar to join the Al Shaad team. Not for free, of course, but only ... for one and a half million dollars. Not a bad fee for an almost 40-year-old football player, right ?!
Romario returned to Flu a month ago. Yes, not alone - he took his friend and compatriot Serginho with him from Al-Shaad ...
Last winter, I was with the leaders of one of Russian clubs Premier League had a chance to visit Brazil in order to make a valuable acquisition there. One evening, a friend found me in a hotel football agent rushed, as it turned out, from another city, where Fluminense played an away match. In his hands he had a small bundle, which he held - almost according to Mayakovsky - "like a bomb, like a hedgehog, like a double-edged razor." It turned out that this is a T-shirt that Romario played only a couple of hours ago and that my friend wanted to give to one of the coaches in Moscow.
Why did you race more than a hundred kilometers if you could easily buy a T-shirt with the inscription "Romario" in Rio or Sao Paulo: they are sold on every corner? I asked.
No, they are not like that. Feel: Romario's sweat hasn't dried on this one!
It wasn't until the next moment that I realized the stupidity of my question.
Lazy, shorty was the name given to the greatest player in the history of football in the media. In part, this is true. The height of Romario de Souza Faria is 1 meter 69 centimeters. But the nickname is received not only for the reason physical indicators. His laziness manifested itself in a long, motionless standing on the field. But when the player started to act, the most dexterous players did not keep up with the quick movements and missed half of the manipulations, like the ball into the goal. These features have made it possible to achieve stunning success in sports.
In Brazil, everyone plays football, but only a few make the game the meaning of life. From the category of entertainment, sports have become the main source of income. The striker, nicknamed "shorty", was born on January 29. Already small, he showed excellent results on the field. But poverty, willpower forced the footballer to constantly improve himself and apply a lot of effort. According to surveys, 90% of Brazilians consider Romario a Brazilian football legend.
From the age of 13, the boy played in the Olaria children's team, and lived in Jacarezinho for a long time. Then he moved to a more prosperous area.
In training, Romario had no interest in the mandatory procedures, but all the hidden power sources were turned on in the game, and the football player gave the result at 100%. Critics noted that the game became a show, and the goal was the key number of the performance.
Successes in the clubs of the world
All the teams on the planet wanted to have a successful football player. Being popular, the forward often changed clubs.
"Vasco da Gama"
This is the home team of the football hero. At 41, Romario returned to it to help him become a leader with his authority. Here, the footballer played for the first time in the adult group at the age of 19. From here, in 1988, the striker's career started. He scored 28 goals in 38 games.
PSV
The Dutch coaches were categorically unhappy with the whims, forays into parties and carnivals. There is a legend that in Dutch Romario could only pronounce 2 phrases:
- I want to go home.
- I am very tired.
But the Europeans needed him! 128 goals scored in 140 games. Everyone agreed with his character.
Barcelona
Here the football player was away less, but continued to stand on the field for 80 minutes. With Hristo Stroichkov from Bulgaria, they organized a tandem that defeated the enemy without much effort.
Romario also had other clubs, where he could not stay for more than 6 months. Countries in which the footballer roamed:
- Qatar.
- Spain.
- Australia.
Nowhere did the restless heart of Romario find shelter. Brazil has always been desired and loved. There the footballer returned constantly.
Successes in the Brazilian national team
During his playing career, Romario in the national team has hosted 4 world championships. But the football player participated in only one. This happened in 1994. And the player had his finest hour. The team won 4 out of 5 matches. And in each attacker scored into the opponent's goal. Brilliantly executed penalty Italians.
Why was the forward suspended from participation in other championships?
- 1986. The reason for the absence in the national team: did not take the coach.
- 1998. Trauma is to blame.
- 2002. The coach did not like the cool temper and unpredictability.
The brilliant player did not need anyone's assessments, but his behavior did not allow him to conquer all the heights of football.
Thanks to successful career Romario's life seems like a fairy tale. He was often forgiven for gaffes, but there was never any question of leaving the team prematurely. At 52, Romario has an excellent physical form. Vivid episodes of the life of a successful athlete:
- In 2007 he scored his 1000th goal, including goals for youth matches.
- In 2008, they tried to remove him from participation in competitions due to suspicion of doping. But then they restored their rights, because it turned out that the substance entered the body through the scalp. The football player used the remedy for baldness too actively.
- In 2009, Romario is back in the game. He decided to cooperate with the Brazilian club "America".
- The stadium in the homeland, which can accommodate several thousand fans, is named after the football player.
- There is a statue of a soccer player in Rio de Janeiro.
- Number 11 was assigned to the player before intervention by the new coach.
The personal life of the Brazilian figure is little consecrated. But Romario is not shy about talking about the variety of sexual relationships and claims that they are necessary before the match. After completing his playing career, he became a politician. Elected to the Congress from the Socialists of Brazil in 2010. Faria will be in the lower house de Souza until 2023.
The player is recognized as the best striker of the 90s. Romario's character traits exclude obedience and adherence to generally accepted norms. It was difficult for him to adapt to the conditions and do like everyone else. Over time, the coaches found an approach to the player. Europe has positively influenced the style of behavior on the field. All achievements were easy for a brilliant player. It is interesting to guess what the “short man” would have achieved with maximum effort.
