Romário

About Romário

The Golden Ball sat in Romário's hands in 1994, the ultimate prize for the greatest player at that year's FIFA World Cup. Brazil had won their fourth world championship, and this clinical striker from Rio de Janeiro had been the tournament's most brilliant performer. At just 28 years old, Romário had reached the pinnacle of football.

Romário de Souza Faria was born on January 29, 1966, in Rio de Janeiro. He developed his early career in Brazil before moving to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands in 1988. The decision would reshape his career and introduce European audiences to his deadly finishing.

At PSV, Romário became unstoppable. During five seasons in the Eredivisie, he scored 165 goals in 167 games. The club became champions three times while he wore their colours. By 1993, Europe's biggest clubs were chasing him.

Barcelona came calling, and Romário joined Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team". He formed an exceptional strike partnership with Hristo Stoichkov. In his first season, he won La Liga and finished as the top goalscorer with 30 goals in 33 matches. The Catalan fans had found their forward.

His international career reached its peak in 1994. That World Cup triumph in the United States made him a global icon. FIFA named him World Player of the Year the same year. Only a select few could match his talent at that moment in time.

Over his career, Romário scored over 700 goals for his clubs and country. He became one of only five players to have scored 100 goals with three different clubs. In 1999, he finished fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll. Four years later, FIFA selected him for their World Cup Dream Team in 2002, and in 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

After his playing days ended, Romário stepped into politics. He became Senior Senator for Rio de Janeiro and now serves his state in the political arena. Today he is also president of football club America-RJ, keeping him connected to the game that made him legendary.