Romario moved around the penalty area with the stealthy gait and sly gaze of a panther, ready to suddenly accelerate as soon as the ball came his way, to disorient the opposing defenders with a couple of feints, to pounce on the ball, which inevitably ended up at his feet, as if magnetised, and finish with an unstoppable shot of pure technique or power, or alternatively serve up a perfect assist for one of his team-mates. He was a Hall of Fame striker if ever there was one.
One of the game's greatest finishers
Having emerged from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Romario achieved the highest goals a footballer could aspire to. His greatest successes came with the Brazil national team, with whom he won the South American Under-20 Championship (1985), silver at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, two Copa America titles (1989 and 1997), a Confederations Cup (1997) and, above all, the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
Romario turned scoring goals into an art form. Sometimes he scored on the run, after sneaking away and touching the ball several times with his favoured right foot, while on other occasions he was more direct, finding the net with either foot with his first touch or on the rebound.
AdvertisementAFP'Unmarkable' with a magic touch
Romario claims that, including friendlies, charity matches and youth games,he has scored over 1000 goals over the course of his career, a milestone he reached at the age of 41 on 20 May, 2007, when he scored a penalty for Vasco da Gama against Sport Recife.
It matters little that FIFA only recognises 760 of his goals in official matches between clubs, the senior national team and the Olympic side, making Romario the fourth-highest scorer in football history, though they concede his tally reaches 929 when taking into account his youth-team efforts.
"When Romario touches the ball, it makes a magical sound," former Italy centre-back Alessandro Costacurta said of facing the Brazilian goal machine. "'Tum tum tum'. He touches it many times in a few metres and then has the ability to understand when his opponent is moving, but above all to understand the movements of his team-mates first in order to pass the ball. Inside the area, he is unmarkable."
Robbed of the Ballon d'Or
Certainly, 'O Baixinho' ('The Little One') – as he was called because of his short stature – ruled the penalty area, but Romario was capable of scoring goals in all sorts of ways; with lobs or soft touches, with brutal power, from inside the area or from distance, and even with his head, thanks to his ability to control the ball and read its trajectory in advance. He won team and individual trophies around the world, finishing as top scorer in 26 different competitions, a record that is unlikely to be equalled.
Romario's magical year came when he won the World Cup in 1994, but at the time non-European Union players were not eligible for the Ballon d'Or, meaning he missed out on winning the greatest individual prize in the game. FIFA did award Romario the FIFA World Player of the Year award, while in 2000, he won the South American Ballon d'Or as the best player on the continent, but he never got his hands on the ultimate footballing honour.
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From the favelas to the big leagues
Born on 29 January, 1966 in Bairro Jacarezinho, Romario grew up within one of the worst favelas in Rio de Janeiro. Despite the situation of destitution and absolute poverty, his love for football saved him, and at the age of 10, he began playing football with Estrelinha de Vila de Penha, a team founded by his father.
In 1979, at the age of 13, Romario was signed by the Olaria youth team, whose first team played in the Brazilian top-flight at the time. Here he was spotted by Vasco da Gama, who brought him into their youth academy.