Wednesday, April 25, 2007
1,000th goal
Sometime over the next few days, Romario will cap a brilliant career by scoring his 1,000th 'first-class goal'.
When he does so, Brazil will erupt with celebrations and tributes to the man considered by many to be the greatest penalty box striker the game has ever seen. A greying and creaking Romario now prowls the penalty boxes for Vasco Da Gama.
However, Romario counted his goals using the same quintessentially Carioca mix of stealth and cunning that made him such a danger to defenders the world over. Perhaps no one except the little man himself really believes he has scored anything like as many.
An enquiry by top football magazine Placar cast considerable doubt on Romario's claims. According to Placar, Romario has not yet reached 900 official first class goals, with the magazine accusing him of including 71 goals scored as an amateur and another 18 in unofficial friendly matches played against teams of amateurs and retired pros.
The magazine also said they could not find any record of nine first-class goals he alleges scoring for PSV Eindhoven and said another eight supposedly scored for Vasco actually took place in exhibition matches or league games whose results were later declared void.
When he does so, Brazil will erupt with celebrations and tributes to the man considered by many to be the greatest penalty box striker the game has ever seen. A greying and creaking Romario now prowls the penalty boxes for Vasco Da Gama.
However, Romario counted his goals using the same quintessentially Carioca mix of stealth and cunning that made him such a danger to defenders the world over. Perhaps no one except the little man himself really believes he has scored anything like as many.
An enquiry by top football magazine Placar cast considerable doubt on Romario's claims. According to Placar, Romario has not yet reached 900 official first class goals, with the magazine accusing him of including 71 goals scored as an amateur and another 18 in unofficial friendly matches played against teams of amateurs and retired pros.
The magazine also said they could not find any record of nine first-class goals he alleges scoring for PSV Eindhoven and said another eight supposedly scored for Vasco actually took place in exhibition matches or league games whose results were later declared void.
