A marvelously talented individual, Romario has been one of the finest strikers of the 1990's. With strong opinions on the game and self confidence a plenty, he has often ruffled the feathers of coaches and teammates alike; but it is hard to argue with the success he has had. Using his deceptive pace and ability to find space in the most crowded penalty area, Romario's goalscoring record is second to none.
A small, stocky figure, Romario rose from a poor suburb of
Rio de Janeiro to join Olaria in 1983. Within two years he had been snapped up by
Vasco da Gama where he scored 73 times in 123 games as well as shooting the club to the Rio State Championship in 1987. He went on to make his international debut against
Australia in 1988 and won a silver medal in the Seoul Olympics before transferring to
Europe with PSV Eindhoven. Romario's time in
Holland was punctuated by arguments and disruption yet he still managed to finish as the league's top scorer on four occasions as he picked up three championships and two cup medals. In 1993 he moved to
Barcelona for £3M (immediately helping them lift the championship) and earned a return to the Brazilian side after a year out of favour with manager Carlos Alberto. In typical fashion he blasted five goals as the Brazilians reclaimed the World Cup after stating beforehand that he would be the star of the 1994 tournament. Typical
arrogance. Typical
success.
A year later, after another fall-out, this time with
Johan Cruyff, Romario moved home to Flamengo for £4M. His continued good form saw him forge an irresistible international partnership with emerging genius Ronaldo, as Brazil looked forward to an exhilarating 1998 World Cup. However, with only days to go until the finals began, Romario was unfortunately forced to pull out of the squad because of injury.
Career Stats:
Team Season GP G
Vasco da Gama 1985 7 0
Vasco da Gama 1986 26 10
Vasco da Gama 1987 14 7
PSV Eindhoven 1988/1989 25 15
PSV Eindhoven 1989/1990 24 19
PSV Eindhoven 1990/1991 20 23
PSV Eindhoven 1991/1992 25 25
PSV Eindhoven 1992/1993 14 9
Barcelona 1993/1994 26 22
Barcelona 1994/1995 33 30
Flamengo 1995 16 8
Flamengo 1996 3 0
Valencia 1996/1997 19 14
Flamengo 1997 4 3
Flamengo 1998 20 14
Flamengo 1999 19 12
Totals 295 211