Romario - "great" and "terrible". Biography Where is Romario now

This football player is unique and incomparable in his own way. The greatest talent was incredibly combined with the same greatest laziness, which did not prevent Romario from becoming one of the best strikers in the history of world football.

Romario de Souza Faria

• Country: Brazil.
• Position – forward.
• Born: 01/29/1966.
• Height: 169 cm.
• Nickname: Shorty.

Biography and career of a football player

Like many other Brazilian boys, football for Romario was not only his 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 home club three times, here he began his brilliant career, and here he ended it. Completed at the age of 41...

Romario first played for the Vasco senior team when he was 19 years old. Over the course of four seasons, he regularly appeared in the first team and scored regularly - his performance was more than 0.7 goals per match.

Romario had a particularly bright season in 1988, when he scored 28 goals in 38 games for the club. At the same time, he was invited to the first Brazilian national team and left to conquer Europe.

PSV Einhoven

1988-1993

At PSV, Romario did not get along with either the coaches or the team - during the 5 seasons he 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, mid-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. SCORED. 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 entire game, explode in two episodes, but in these episodes he hit the opponents' goal. How many times, lulled by the deceptive calm of a genius, defenders momentarily lost their vigilance and allowed Romario to touch the ball. And sometimes one touch was enough for him to score.

Sometimes it seemed that in order to score a goal, the diminutive Brazilian only had to want it. Once, in a group match of the 1992-1993 Champions League against Milan, Romario scored a mind-blowing goal: standing with his back to the goal, he took the ball approximately on the goal line, covering it with his body, managed to juggle it, and then slammed it into the near corner with a turn!

Neither before nor after this have I personally been able to see anything like this.

It was clear to everyone that Romario had long outgrown the Dutch championship, but the big clubs were in no hurry to invite the capricious star, from whom one could expect any antics, at any time.

Barcelona

1993-1994

Other clubs

1995-2009

But Romario always longed for his native country, never taking root in Europe, which was alien to him. 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 never stayed anywhere for more than six months, each time returning to his native Brazil.

Brazil national team

1987-1995

The club career of this unique football player cannot be assessed unambiguously, just like his career in the national team. On the one hand, Romario is a world champion, on the other, he could become a participant in five world championships, repeating the achievement, unique for a field player, established

But, as they say, it’s not fate. In 1986, Tele Santana did not take 20-year-old Romario to the World Championships in Mexico, for which he was subsequently 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 roster at number 11. And who knows how the final match of that tournament would have turned out if the “shorty” had been in the lineup at that time “ tetracampeons."

And in 2002, Luiz Felipe Scolari’s decision not to take Romario to the World Championships in Japan and South Korea caused a real wave of indignation among the “torsida”. Moreover, Romario was healthy, it’s just that “Sergeant”, with his love of order and dictatorial habits, did not need unpredictable geniuses.

However, the winners are not judged - Scolari won the fifth and so far last world champion title for Brazil.

But the 1994 World Cup was Romario's championship. He scored in five matches, four of which ended in victory for his team, and was recognized as the best player in the victorious tournament for his team. And the forward combination of Romario and Bebeto was the most productive in the championship.

Romario's nerves did not falter in the post-match penalty shootout against the Italians. His shot was the second, before him Marcio Santos and Franco Baresi failed to convert their attempts, 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 achieved nothing and to this day does not dare to try again, but simply enjoys life.

Romario's titles

Team

1. Three-time Dutch champion.
2. Two-time winner of the Dutch Cup.
3. Two-time champion of Spain.
4. Champion of Brazil.
5. World champion.
6. Winner of the Confederations Cup.

Individual

1. The best football player of the Dutch championship in 1989.
2. The best football player of the 1994 World Cup.
3. South American Footballer of the Year (2000).
4. Footballer of the Year in Brazil (2000).

• Romario officially has 874 goals to his name, but at one time the “shorty” man set out to beat Pele himself in this indicator and began to keep his own goal count.
• By this count, he scored more than 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 number 11, under which Romario performed, was forever assigned to him at Vasco da Gama, but after a change in the club’s management, the number was put into circulation again.
• In 2010, Romario was elected to the lower house of the National Congress, the Brazilian parliament.

But one thought haunts me. Let’s imagine that Romario, with his talent, was hardworking and persistent, constantly working on himself, setting high goals. What heights would this genius have reached then, whose play is still remembered by fans all over the world?

I don't have an answer to this question. And you?

Romario de Souza Faria(port. Romrio de Souza Faria; January 29, 1966, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - Brazilian footballer, forward. In 1994, he received a world champion medal and was recognized as the best football player of the year in the world. In 2010, he was elected to the lower house of the National Congress from the Socialist Party of Brazil.

Biography

Romario began his career in the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama and at a young age acquired a very scandalous reputation when he was expelled from the Brazilian national team at the World Youth Championship for violating the rules.

Having performed brilliantly at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul (scoring in both the semi-finals and the final, in which the Brazilians lost to the USSR team in extra time), Romario moved to PSV. There he had serious disagreements with coaches and teammates, which, however, did not stop him from scoring 98 goals in five seasons in the Dutch championship. In the summer of 1993, Barcelona bought Romario for £3 million.

At first, Brazilian coaches had difficulty adapting his strong individualism to team play. But performances in European clubs made his style more harmonious. At the 1994 World Cup in the USA, Romario scored five important goals - against Cameroon, Russia and Sweden in the group stage, against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and Sweden in the semi-finals. Another goal was scored in the penalty shootout in the final against Italy.

After the World Cup, he “darted” between two continents, changing clubs, disappeared from the national team for a long time, but managed to return to it at the Tournois de France in 1997. For the upcoming World Cup, the coaches were playing the “Ro-Ro” pairing: Romario - Ronaldo. He was prevented from playing at the World Championships in France by an injury received shortly before the start of the tournament. He almost managed to recover, but coach Mario Zagallo, after consulting with Zico, decided not to take him to the tournament. As a result, the 11th number, which Romario managed to receive in his application, was transferred to Emerson, who replaced him.

After this, Romario moved to his homeland of Brazil, where he played for a long time. In 2005, at 39 years old, he again became the top scorer in the Brazilian Championship. In 2006 he moved to the American club Miami from the first division.

In 2007, the 41-year-old forward moved to his starting club, Vasco da Gama, and scored five goals for the team, approaching the 1,000-goal mark in his career. On May 21, 2007, Romario scored his 1000th goal (this achievement also includes 77 goals scored for the youth teams of Olaria and Vasco da Gama).

After the doping scandal, on April 15, 2008, Romario officially announced the end of his sports career (although he was forgiven, since the doping came through a remedy for baldness).

In mid-2009, it was announced that Romario had signed a contract with Club America from Rio de Janeiro. Romario agreed to help the club return to the elite division of the Carioca League.

The 10,000-seat stadium in Duque de Caxias is named after Romario.

A statue of Romario appeared on the field of the San Januario stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where the footballer scored his thousandth goal.

Statistics

There is every reason to argue that Romario was the best striker in world football in the 1990s. He began his brilliant career in the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, but at a young age he acquired a very scandalous reputation when he was expelled from the Brazilian national team at the World Youth Championship for violating the rules.

After performing brilliantly at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988, Romario moved to PSV Eindhoven. There he had serious disagreements with coaches and teammates, which, however, did not stop him from scoring 98 goals in five seasons in the Dutch championship. In the summer of 1993, Barcelona bought Romario for £3 million.

At first, Brazilian coaches had difficulty adapting his strong individualism to team play. But performances in European clubs made his style more harmonious. In 1994, Romario scored five important goals, to which he added another in the penalty shoot-out in the final against Italy.

After the World Cup in the USA, he rushed between two continents, changing clubs, disappeared from the national team for a long time, but managed to return to it at the Tournois de France in 1997. Unfortunately, he was prevented from playing at the World Championships in France by an injury received shortly before the start of the tournament.

After this, Romario moved to his homeland of Brazil, where he played for a long time. In 2005, at the age of 39 (!), he again became the top scorer of the Brazilian Championship. In 2006 he moved to the American club Miami from the first division.

In 2007, the 41-year-old forward moved to the club where he once started his career, Vasco da Gama, and has already scored five goals for his new team, thereby moving even closer to breaking the 1,000 career goal mark . On May 21, 2007, Romario scored his 1000th goal.

After the doping scandal, on April 15, 2008, the “shorty” officially announced the end of his sports career (although he was forgiven because the doping came through a remedy for baldness).

Achievements

Best of the day

Team

World Champion 1994

America's Cup winner: 1989, 1997

Confederations Cup winner: 1997

Olympic silver medalist: 1988

Winner of the Brazilian Championship: 2000

Champion of Spain: 1993, 1994

Dutch Champion: 1989, 1991, 1992

Dutch Cup winner: 1989, 1990

4-time Carioca League champion: 1987, 1988, 1996, 1999

Mercosur Cup Winner: 2000

Best Footballer of the 1994 World Cup

The best football player in the world 1994

South American Footballer of the Year: 2000

The best football player in Brazil 2000

7 times became the top scorer of the Carioca League

Included in the FIFA 100 list

The word "Rei" means King in Portuguese. When presenting a T-shirt with number 40 on the occasion of his fortieth birthday, the organizers of the celebration, with great allusion, misspelled the name “Shorty” (Romario’s nickname). Pay attention to the photo: it says REIMÁRIO.

The attitude towards this football player both in his homeland and abroad is very ambiguous. Some people idolize Romario, others hate him. Well, as they say, there are no comrades according to taste and color. But I think that the former are still the majority.

However, it’s hard to classify “Shorty” as simply talented football players. In reality, he is an extraordinary talent, with his pluses (which are probably fewer in human terms) and minuses (which are practically non-existent in game terms).

Having won the title of top scorer at the end of the 2005 Brazilian Championship (and this is on the verge of his fortieth birthday!), the indomitable Roma set off to conquer other continents where he had never set foot in a boot. Football fans in the USA and Australia consistently watched Romario's performances at the stadiums of their countries throughout 2006. And Brazil hoped and waited for this “indomitable” one to return. He will return to score the 1,000th goal of his career and gloriously end the thorny path of a player who has hundreds of matches played at different levels in the Brazilian national team and clubs...

The site administration has recently begun to receive proposals, sometimes bordering on demands, to open separate sections on Torsida dedicated to this or that Brazilian football player. And each appealed with “specific” arguments and provided facts that, say, a certain Kleberson Junior Parreira de Nocimento Caca do Figurense da Bombonero deserves “his own” section on our website.

Alas! I will repeat for the umpteenth time. It is impossible to embrace the immensity. And I, as the author of the project, do not intend to follow the lead of our dear visitors. Maybe to the detriment of his “brainchild”. However, please understand me too...

Instead of a preface: Sao Paulo 20.02.2007

Only the arguments of one of the fans of Brazilian football convinced me of the need to open a new section dedicated to the “Great” and “Terrible”. That's what we are doing today.

As an annotation for this section, I would like to give the floor to this fan, whose name is Vitaly Avdeev (the text is published in the original).

Hello, dear lover of Brazilian football!!!

It’s very nice to communicate, and even just write a letter to a like-minded person, not just a football fan, but a lover of Brazilian football! Oddly enough, but there are very few of us... There are very few people who appreciate the skill of football, the game of beauty, and leave the result for later... well, at least that’s how I am...

But on the other hand, there is not a single person who is passionate about football who would be indifferent to the Brazilians, they are either respected or hated, the excuse being that the Brazilians “always win everything anyway.”

Maybe it won’t look patriotic, but in all the matches I saw with the Russian national team, I was rooting for Brazil! I don’t understand so many of our football players, football experts, commentators who worry about other national teams without appreciating the Brazilians... Of course, this is everyone’s business, a matter of taste... But how can you exchange a magnificent luxurious lunch for a homeless kitchen!!!

I am a very passionate fan of the Brazilian national team, but not a headless fan! I have always tried to judge objectively, I have collected a collection of videos on four DVDs, I try to compare the football of the past, the times of Garrincha, Gerson... with the modern football of Adriano and Kaka.

Time moves forward, football develops... and develops, it seems, for the better... but oddly enough, my sympathies are increasingly growing towards the football of the 20th century, towards the football of the romantics. I am very sorry that the motto “You will score as much as you can, and we will score as much as we want” is no longer relevant. But why? In my opinion, because so many Brazilians dream of going to Europe, “to earn money,” and that’s where they “go bad”... But their desire is reasonable and meaningful, they want fame, money... But mastery gradually leaves, is wasted on advertising and social receptions. Of course, this is a controversial point of view, but in any case, he said what he thought... expressed what was boiling over.

Well, so I gradually approached Romario... Romario, the favorite football player of all Brazilians! I somehow came up with the following prefix epithets for myself:

• Pele the king
• Garrincha is the most technical
• Ronaldinho is the most beautiful
• Rivelino is the most emotional
• Cafu is the most reliable, no matter how strange it sounds
• Romario is the best!!!

Romario is also the most unique... he trained very little, played truant, drank, etc., participated fully in one world championship, although many people believe that in 1986, 1990, 1998 he would have brought a lot of benefit, has very imperfect physical characteristics... and yet, many experts consider him a figure higher than Pele, higher by definition...

Yes, and if we think rationally, there should be only one Pele, the king of football, but if ever a person appears who is taller than Pele, then in the minds of the people Pele will be crowned king, since it is very difficult to compare the football of the 60-70s with modern ... So Romario was the one who could compete with Pele.

Now, regarding the section on your site, regarding Romario... Of course, whether there is a section or not is up to you and it depends on your opinion about Romario... For example, on my site, I would never make a separate section for Ronaldo , Adriano, Rivaldo... It’s very difficult to even come up with a name for the section, “The Last of the Greats”, “the last ROMANTIC”, these names somehow sound very sad... “The Best Brasileiro”... well, in any case, it’s a matter of taste!

As for the content, the content in the Football Legends section is quite suitable... and I would also add a video, if possible, and photos...

And in conclusion, regarding the site, I would like to separately note: the site is informative, grammatical, please support it... I have been online only since 2002, and there were a lot of sites dedicated to Brazilian football, but gradually they all stopped being moderated and left into oblivion. I would really like this to not happen to your site!!! Thank you for your love for Brazilian Football!

Vitaly Avdeev(aka Brasik1994)

Damn it (sorry for the emotions), how nice it is to hear and read words of gratitude addressed to our (and yours, dear visitors) site. But, unfortunately, there is no point in guessing what will happen tomorrow. We must approach reality objectively. Time will tell how it all ends.

And further. Indeed, it is very difficult to come up with a name for a new section. We gave him the following: - "Great" and "terrible." “Great” - because he is truly a Great (with a Capital G) football player. And “terrible” - for his, I’m not afraid of this word, disgusting character.

Instead of an afterword: Sao Paulo 20.02.2007

* An updated section about Romario will be opened soon