Romário
Romário de Souza Faria arrived in the world on the 29th of January 1966. He grew up in a poor neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. Scouts from Olaria, a small local club, noticed him playing as a child. They brought him to Vasco da Gama's junior team shortly after. The young striker won state league titles in 1987 and 1988. His talent became undeniable when he topped the scoring charts at the 1988 Olympic football tournament with seven goals.
PSV Eindhoven signed Romário in 1988 for five seasons. He scored 165 goals in just 167 games during that time. The Dutch club won the Eredivisie three times while he was there. Guus Hiddink coached him and recalled Romário telling him before big games that they would win. Coach Hiddink noted eight out of ten times Romário made that claim, it came true. He moved to Barcelona in 1993 under Johan Cruyff. The Brazilian scored 30 goals in 33 matches to win La Liga.
Brazil faced Uruguay at the Maracanã Stadium in 1994 qualification. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira had banned Romário earlier due to a dispute. The team needed a win to qualify. Romário returned wearing his number 11 jersey and scored both goals in a 2, 0 victory. He then led Brazil to the 1994 FIFA World Cup title in the United States. He scored five goals including a trademark toe-poke against Sweden. He won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
Romário clashed with coaches throughout his career. He punched Sevilla defender Diego Simeone in 1994 and received a five-game suspension. A rift with Johan Cruyff forced him to leave Barcelona in January 1995. He argued heatedly with Valencia coach Luis Aragonés before returning to Flamengo. In 2007 he tested positive for finasteride after a match against Palmeiras. He claimed it was an anti-baldness treatment but the drug is banned as a masking agent. He also attacked a fan who threw six live chickens at him during training.
Romário entered politics in 2010 when elected deputy for the Brazilian Socialist Party. He became the sixth most voted candidate for deputy in Rio de Janeiro. The politician denounced the 2014 FIFA World Cup as corruption-ridden. He ran for senator in 2014 and won with the most votes ever by a candidate from Rio de Janeiro. He switched parties multiple times joining Podemos in 2017 and the Liberal Party in 2021. He publicly endorsed President Jair Bolsonaro while criticizing previous administrations.
On the 20th of May 2007 Romário scored his 1000th goal against Sport Recife playing for Vasco da Gama. The game stopped for over 20 minutes to allow celebrations from fans. FIFA congratulated him but stated he officially had only 929 goals since 77 were scored in youth or friendly matches. RSSSF estimated his career tally to be 968 goals in 1188 games. He released a DVD of 900 best goals in 2008. Vasco da Gama unveiled a statue of him at São Januário stadium after the milestone.
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Common questions
When was Romário de Souza Faria born?
Romário de Souza Faria arrived in the world on the 29th of January 1966. He grew up in a poor neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro.
How many goals did Romário score for PSV Eindhoven during his five seasons there?
PSV Eindhoven signed Romário in 1988 and he scored 165 goals in just 167 games during that time. The Dutch club won the Eredivisie three times while he was there under coach Guus Hiddink.
What happened when Romário returned to the Brazil national team in 1994?
Brazil faced Uruguay at the Maracanã Stadium in 1994 qualification and Romário returned wearing his number 11 jersey after being banned earlier due to a dispute. He scored both goals in a 2, 0 victory before leading Brazil to the 1994 FIFA World Cup title in the United States.
Why did Romário leave Barcelona in January 1995?
A rift with Johan Cruyff forced him to leave Barcelona in January 1995. He had previously scored 30 goals in 33 matches to win La Liga under Cruyff.
When did Romário enter politics and which party did he represent initially?
Romário entered politics in 2010 when elected deputy for the Brazilian Socialist Party. He became the sixth most voted candidate for deputy in Rio de Janeiro.
How many official goals does RSSSF estimate Romário scored in his career?
RSSSF estimated his career tally to be 968 goals in 1188 games despite FIFA stating he officially had only 929 goals since 77 were scored in youth or friendly matches. On the 20th of May 2007 Romário scored his 1000th goal against Sport Recife playing for Vasco da Gama.