Romário
Romário de Souza Faria, born on January 29, 1966, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a renowned former professional soccer player celebrated for his exceptional scoring ability and agility on the field. Despite growing up in a challenging environment and facing health issues like asthma, he showcased extraordinary talent, eventually joining the professional team Vasco Da Gama at the age of nineteen. Throughout his career, Romário played for several prestigious clubs, including PSV Eindhoven and FC Barcelona, and became a crucial member of the Brazilian national team, contributing significantly to their 1994 World Cup victory where he was also named the tournament's best player.
Romário's career was marked by a remarkable scoring record, with notable achievements including being the top goal scorer in both the Spanish league and international tournaments. However, his career was not without controversy; he faced disciplinary issues and a temporary suspension due to a doping violation, although he was later acquitted. After retiring from soccer in 2008, he transitioned into politics, successfully being elected to Brazil's Chamber of Deputies and later the Senate, where he has been an active voice on various issues. His legacy in soccer and public service continues to resonate in Brazil, underscoring his status as a cultural icon.
Romário
- Born: January 29, 1966
- Place of Birth: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
SPORT: Soccer
Early Life
Romário de Souza Faria was born on January 29, 1966, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Living on the outskirts of Rio in a favela, or slum district, he learned to play soccer as a child. Although Romário was small for his age and struggled with asthma, his father recognized his talent as a soccer player. Encouraged by his father to work hard, Romário became skilled enough to join the small Brazilian soccer team Olaria in 1982. At the age of nineteen, Romário entered the professional world of soccer when he signed with the Brazilian team Vasco Da Gama.
The Road to Excellence
Many soccer experts underestimated Romário as a player because of his small stature. However, rival players soon learned that he was tough, quick, and intuitive on the soccer field, with an uncanny ability to “charm” the soccer ball into the net. From 1985 to 1988, he won two Brazilian State Championships and scored seventy-eight goals over 113 game appearances. In 1988, he transferred to the Dutch team PSV Eindhoven and scored ninety-eight goals in 109 games. In the same year, while a member of the Brazilian national team, he won an Olympic silver medal and was a top scorer with seven goals. He was an integral part of PSV Eindhoven’s Dutch championships in 1989, 1991, and 1992 and in the Dutch Cup wins in 1989 and 1990. In 1989 and 1990, he was the Dutch league’s top goal scorer.
The Emerging Champion
In 1993, Romário moved to the Spanish team FC Barcelona and scored thirty-four goals over forty-six games. In 1994, he was the top goal scorer for the Spanish league, Primera División. In 1994, Romário was a member of the Brazilian national team in the World Cup, playing in all seven games. The team won the World Cup, Brazil’s first title in twenty-four years, with Romário scoring five goals. Romário was voted the most outstanding player of the tournament. In the same year, he was voted the FIFA World Player of the Year. He was a hero in Brazil and solidified his reputation as one of the greatest soccer players in the world.
In 1995, Romário went to the Brazilian team Flamengo, playing with the club for two seasons and scoring thirty-one goals over forty-six games. From 1996 to 1998, he played with the Spanish team Valencia, scoring five goals in eleven games and missing the World Cup because of injuries. In 1999, he returned to Flamengo and scored twenty-six goals in thirty-nine games. The following year, he returned to Vasco da Gama. During the two years he played with the team, he accrued forty-one goals and helped the team win the Mercosur Cup and the Brazilian league championship.
From 2002 to 2004, Romário played with the Rio de Janeiro team Fluminense. In 2003, he was loaned to the Qatari team Al Sadd. During this time, he scored thirty-five goals in a combined sixty-six games with the two teams. Romário was well known for ignoring team discipline and arguing with his coaches, and a conflict between him and the Fluminense coach led to his release from the team. He returned to Vasco da Gama in 2005.
Continuing the Story
In 2005, at the age of thirty-nine, Romário scored twenty-two goals during the Brazilian championship games, making him the top goal scorer of the championship. He also played in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final. In 2006, in a surprising move, Romário joined the United Soccer Leagues team Miami FC, a second-tier U.S. soccer club that developed players for Major League Soccer. After four months, he returned again to Vasco da Gama as a player and coach, recording his unofficial one-thousandth goal on May 20, 2007.
On December 21, 2007, Romário was suspended for 120 days for failing a drug test. After a game in October, he tested positive for the banned substance finasteride, a masking agent of anabolic steroids. Romário claimed he was using an anti-balding medication that contained finasteride and had been unaware the drug was present in the preparation. He denied enhancing his performance on the soccer field. On February 14, 2008, Brazil’s Superior Tribunal of Sports Justice acquitted him of this doping charge. In February 2008, after a coaching disagreement with Vasco da Gama club president Eurico Miranda, Romário announced his retirement effective March 30, 2008.
Romário came out of retirement in August 2009 to help Rio de Janeiro's football club, America, win a match against Artsul. In April 2024, he emerged from retirement again, registering as a player-president for America. Romário's son Romarinho (Romário de Souza Faria Filho) also played for America in the 2024 season.
Political Career
After retiring from soccer, Romário ran to represent Rio de Janeiro in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Brazilian Congress, in 2011. Romário, then a member of the Brazilian Socialist Party, won the seat, becoming the sixth most voted-for candidate for deputy in Rio de Janeiro's history. In this capacity, he pushed against plans to hold the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, though unsuccessfully. In 2014, he announced he would run for the Senate and was again successful. He assumed office on February 1, 2015. In 2017, he left the Brazilian Socialist Party for the centrist, populist Podemos party. In 2018, he ran for governor of Rio de Janeiro, but in a crowded field of twelve candidates, he lost in the first round of voting, remaining a member of the Senate. In 2021, Romário became a member of the Liberal Party and was reelected to the Senate in 2022.
Summary
Romário is one of Brazil’s most famous and intuitive soccer forwards ever. Known for his temperamental behavior and sudden bursts of speed on the soccer field, he was the second-highest goal scorer in soccer history, surpassed only by Pelé (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), who scored 1,281 goals.
Bibliography
"Brazil Ex-Football Star Romário Seeks Rio State Governor Post." BBC News, 18 Mar. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-43446839. Accessed 15 Nov. 2018.
Di Peco, Vittoria. The Story of Romário. Richmond Hill, Ont.: V. Casonato, 1993.
Franco, Nara, and Rupert Fryer. "Shorty Crowned King of the World—How Romário Won the Ballon d'Or." Brazil Global Tour, 12 Dec. 2016, www.goal.com/en-za/news/shorty-crowned-king-of-the-world-how-romario-won-the-ballon/blt893ea99b8357b1f3. Accessed 20 June 2024.
Hunt, Chris. The Complete Book of Soccer. 2nd ed., Firefly Books, 2012.
Radnedge, Keir. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Soccer: The Definitive Illustrated Guide to World Soccer. Carlton Books, 2004.
"Romário and Bebeto Team Up Again, This Time in Politics." Reuters, 16 Nov. 2017, www.reuters.com/article/uk-soccer-brazil-romario-bebeto/romario-and-bebeto-team-up-again-this-time-in-politics-idUKKBN1DH00L. Accessed 15 Nov. 2018.
"Romário: Former Brazil Striker Registers to Play for America Football Club alongside His Son." BBC Sports, 17 Apr. 2024, www.bbc.com/sport/football/68837681. Accessed 20 June 2024.