In announcing his "retirement" game to be played in the US, Romario -- never one to half-step on his comments -- stated that he has no doubts that he is the principal player to have worn the yellow shirt since 1970. http://lancenet.ig.com.br/noticias/minuto/idxn.asp?area=manchete1&c=12&p=/noticias/04-09-30/FUT/FLU/281026.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- Segundo o Baixinho, ele foi o melhor jogador que já passou pela seleção brasileira desde a geração de 70. - Sou o principal jogador após a Copa do Mundo de 1970. Não tenho dúvidas disso - afirmou o atacante. --------------------------------------------------------------------- As of 9AM this morning on Lancenet's a poll 59% Yes, 41% No. What do you guys think? If not, who is? PS - Why is Romario choosing to play his testimonial in Los Angeles?
Ronaldo beats him by a mile already. Copa America 89 and 97 and World Cup 1994 for Romario? Ronaldo has Copa America 97 and 99, World Cup 1998 (finalist) and 2002, not to mention more World Cup goals than Romário. He's also ahead of Romário on the all-time goalscorers list isn't he? That's without trying to include some of the stars ffrom the 80s.
I think it was Tostao who said of all the players since the 70's squad only Romario would've made the team. Bobby Robson, who managed Ronaldo also, on the eve of the Euro cup between Barca and Milan said when he puts he's mind to it (Romario) no player comes near him - Maradona was still a force @ that time. And more recently when asked to chose between Ronaldo and Romario - no prizes 4 guessing who got the tiperillo. When Ro-Ro parntership was in full swing I remember watching a programme featuring the then 98 WC squad and Romario was getting the props, Ronaldo was WPY. But it's all opnion - there's no doubt in his mind whose the Daddy. That's 1 of the reasons y he's propmungous in my book, he cares not wot others think.
He did say that…remember reading it. Didn’t he also add that Romario would take his place? How do you base an answer? Pure talent….contribution to silverware won with Selecao….number of caps….leadership qualities……symbol of your era? It should probably be a mix of all of those. Based on pure talent alone you have Romario, Ronaldo, Zico, and Reinaldo all in the mix. Based on loyal service to the Selecao over time (including positive attitude and leadership) you have to mention Dunga, Cafu, Zico, Ronaldo, Junior, Roberto Carlos, Bebeto, Aldair – all present over multiple cups and playoffs. Based on a singular accomplishment it would be Romario. The combination of the heroics in the last WCQ’94 game vs Uruguay, followed up by his USA ’94 performances shines brightest IMO. Although Ronaldo’s accomplishment in Korea’02 is also the stuff of legend, I think Romario’s feat is slightly superior. But one WC can’t decide in his favor….so “no.” Had Romario been fit for ’90 and ’98 it might have been a different story (though you could say the same for Zico). Had he said “I’m the best Brasilian player since the '70s generation of players” – we would still have a debate – but he would be closer to getting my "yes" vote. I just caught myself forgetting Rivaldo. He was stellar for two WCs, stellar at Copa Americas, and had to shoulder the brunt of the criticism for the Selecao’s poor performances prior to Korea. Sadly for him, I don’t think he will ever be fully appreciated for his kind of genius.
And once again, I'm left to wonder if any of the members of the 82 team would be getting more consideration if they had won..............
In 1994 Romario said he was better than Pele. Why is he being so modest now? Ronaldo is the best followed by Romario and Rivaldo. If Romario was fit enough to play in 1990 and 1994 it might have been different. I am sure he would have broken Muller's WC record. I agree with Tpmazembe that Romario's influence in WC 1994 was greater than Ronaldo's impact in WC 2002. However, an unfit Ronaldo has scored 12 goals in the WC. What would the number be if he was fit? Zico was never the same player at the Selecao level (esp. in the most important games) as he was otherwise. His lack of success makes him unsuitable for the 'Best Selecao Player after 70' title.
I hope, Kaushik. Romário doesn´t played 90 and 98 World and probably he would be the recordman top scorer. Romário is (now, I think) the best player that I saw in my life, included the short time than Maradona (I was born in 1983, then I don´t remember 86 WC, only for video cassettes). Romário you are magic with the ball.
This is tough - when Romario was in his prime you always had this feeling that he could do whatever he wanted when he wanted. IT was as if at any given moment, he could explode and annihilate the opposition; a blink, and he's gone by you and scored. He was one of the greatest finishers I've ever seen. Of course you have to ignore his general idiocy... like the dissention he created on the teams he played for, his arrogance, mischief and self-serving attitude. But... WC 94 was IMO tougher than 2002 and Romario shined in that and I cannot help but wonder what if Romario was healthy for France 98... different game, different formations - you could've had Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Romario on the front with Rivaldo withdrawn... scarey. In the end Ronaldo has the opportunity to be much bigger and he's already accomplished so much already. But I don't think he runs away with it over Romario. Not just yet.
I'm not sure. I can understand peoples hesitation to give Romario full props, despite wot he's achieved there's this question mark that wont go away - it would be interesting to know wot CAP, Zagallo, Scolari and Cruyff think.
My favourite quote of Romário is: "When I was born, God looked at me and said: - He's the man!" Both in their primes, Romário is better than Ronaldo in my opinion - and I can say that I'm definitely not alone here in Brazil. It has nothing to do with numbers, championships or what-if suppositions. What comes to my mind is pure talent and confidence. Romário is a genius with the ball, a killer who could toy with an entire team, win the day and get away with it. In fact he did it many times, like in 1993 against Uruguay in the last match of the SA/WCQ. And he really knows how to play without the ball at his feet. Tostão wrote in Folha de São Paulo that, in his opinion, Romário is the best pure striker in the History of Football - not only Brazilian football. Besides that, he's a clever guy who knows how to get himself in people's minds.
I had a conversation with my fellow Brazilian friends, after the WCQ match vs. Argentina where Ronaldo scored 3 penalties and they were divided when I asked who was the better striker, Romario or Ronaldo? One Carioca said he preferred Ronaldo because Romario would rarely ever drift back to collect the ball in midfield like Ronaldo did vs. Argentina, and often would look disintrested on the field when the ball wasn't at his feet. The other would say Romario was a magician with the ball, and could do whatever he wanted with the ball at his feet and was better in the air than Ronaldo ever was. Personally I like Romario, simply because he was that rarest of players, that could take time off conditioning, go out to a nightclub on the eve of a important match. And when the gametime came he could score whenever he felt like it, the game would come so easily to him. He seemed to be able to toy with opponents, especially when I recall seeing a certain goal he scored at PSV, where he had opponents diving all over the ground while he held the ball for 10-15 seconds before he gently tapped it in. What do you feel Romario possessed that made him a better striker than Ronaldo? Boy picking between the two for me is very difficult, especially when watching pre-injury Ronaldo at Barca. He could do Maradona vs. England 1986 goals with ease.
"Si no voy a la movida, no meto goles", Romário said, in 1993, when Barça fans pressed him because he was a nightlife lover. What do I feel? The intangible that holds a secret and only a few gifted people have. I'm a Flamengo fan and saw Zico playing in his prime. Zico was unbelievable. But I feel that Romário, for some reason, goes beyond that. This is an important issue. Zico filled a huge space in Flamengo fans' hearts until Romário arrived - and the Baixinho mystified the crowd (30 million in the entire country). Zico didn't mention anything, but it was obvious it made him uncomfortable, especially because Romário is a lazy cat, while Zico was the most disciplined athlete of his generation. I'm sure Zico felt it was somehow offensive. I am just speculating here, but I feel this tension was never resolved - and it was present in the 1998 WC, when Romário was sent home and two weeks later, with the World Cup on, was surprisingly playing with Flamengo. Some say, in Brazil, that if Romário was born in Argentina, they would idolize him just like they idolized Maradona. I don't know. But the guy has guts. "I will bring that World Cup back home. You can mark my words", he said just before the USA/WC.
An excerpt from today's Tostao: http://jbonline.terra.com.br/ Ao anunciar o seu jogo de despedida internacional nos Estados Unidos, Romário disse que é o jogador mais importante do Brasil após a Copa de 70. Além dele, incluiria Ronaldinho e Zico. Não sei qual foi o melhor, mas o que mais me arrepiou foi o Romário. Ronaldinho Gaúcho tem tudo para ter o mesmo conceito nos próximos anos. Os grandes momentos do Romário em clubes foram no exterior, numa época em que os jogos eram pouco vistos no Brasil. Romário atua há muitos anos como um veterano em final de carreira. Por isso, muitos jovens acham que ele foi apenas um artilheiro. Temo que essa imagem distorcida fique na história, o que seria uma grande injustiça contra um dos maiores talentos de todos os tempos.
Romario is the best since the '70 team. They won the World Cup after 24 years with Romario's goals. His patience and class inside the box were unbelievable. He always looked so calm he made his goals look easy. Aside from his skills, he is loved for winning the World Cup for Brazil after 24 years and being the first team with 4 championships. Just for doing that for Brazil, he is to me and to a lot of others, the best one since 1970.
Tostao has always been very modest when it comes to his own standing in history. On his best day he beats Romario hands down. If not for the eye injury, Tostao might be known as the second greatest Brasilian of all-time. He was THAT good.
Boy, this cannot be stated enough. Fans in Brasil never embraced Rivaldo and it is really a shame. After the 96 olympics he got the label of being a "club player". But as Tpmazembe mentioned, he rebounded from that setback to become one of the most clutch selecao players ever. He was hands down our best player in France 98 and one of the 2 or 3 best in Korea/Japan 2002. Also, who can forget the spectacular hat-trick against Argentina in Porto Alegre. I actually feel in the 2000-01 qualifiers, he was the only one keeping that thing from really falling apart. He became an easy target for the fans, but it was not his fault we were struggling.
Romario is actually more popular than Ronaldo in Brasil. Part of the reason is Romario played many more years in Brasil. People do not identify with Ronaldo as much because he left at 17 and has not played as many matches there. Also, I think people in Brasil love the cockiness and that bad boy quality Romario brought to the table. Believe or not, some people think Ronaldo is a little bit of a manufactured star -- a product of marketing. Romario was more "real". I have actually heard that from more than one person. I will say this. I have tapes from Ronaldo's first season at Inter and he was simply ridiculous. His game was still a little rough around the edges but he was only 21! I think if he had not had the injuries and still had the same physical capacity, coupled with the maturity that would come in later years, his prime would have been better than Romario's. As it was, I think Romario at his absolute apex was a drop better than Ronaldo at his best. He just had an ability in tight spaces and an instinct that was unbelievable. I guess if we are narrowing things down to those two, Romario might just be correct.
Romario's a legend, a god in boots. Ronaldo though, I don't know I haven't loved watching an athlete play the way I love to see him play EVER. It's tough, Romario has "it" you can't put your finger on it. He's just got "it" and Ronaldo has it as well but it doesn't come out as much. He's so polished now after spending so much time in Europe. BTW Cruyff said that Romario was a legendary player in the class of Pele. I saw him on Dutch TV saying that yrs ago. Imvho Romario was his own worst enemy. His lack of concern for fitness and training held him back. imvho in '98 he leads Brasil. Another one of my favorite players is Edmundo, the guy's a genius with the ball.
Ronaldo before 2002 WC: Don't write us(me) off. I will win the golden boot. I would say that a player living up to his words after returning from a two-year career-threatening injury lay off and having no match practice at all is gutsy and prodigious.