Romario says he's retiring
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - Romario, the man who led Brazil to its 1994 World Cup victory, said he was calling it quits, Brazilian media reported Tuesday.
"I stopped. I can't do it anymore. I don't have the desire," Romario told a reporter from the O Globo news agency in the southern city of Florianopolis where he was vacationing.
The 38-year-old striker said he planned to play one final game to farewell fans at Maracana stadium some time in the second half of 2005.
"I thought of playing one half with a Vasco jersey and the other half with a Flamengo jersey," Romario told the O Globo news agency but said he was afraid that might anger some of Flamengo's more vocal supporters.
"I'm not going to play a goodbye game to get booed," he added.
Romario last played for Rio club Fluminense.
He burst onto the national soccer scene in 1985 and played for Vasco until 1988. He then jumped to Dutch club PSV and Spain's FC Barcelona, and reached soccer's pinnacle at the 1994 World Cup. He was elected FIFA player of the year in 1994.
In 1998, he was cut from the Cup team with a leg injury, and Brazil finished second to host France.
One of his fans is former all-star Tostao, of Brazil's 1970 World Cup champions. Tostao calls Romario the greatest center forward ever and says he would have started on the '70 Cup team, considered one of the best of all time.
In Brazil, Romario continued to shine and a draft-Romario movement swept the country on the eve of the 2002 Cup. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari resisted the pressure, and Romario watched as Brazil picked up a record fifth title in Japan.
In recent years, he played for Flamengo before joining Fluminense.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - Romario, the man who led Brazil to its 1994 World Cup victory, said he was calling it quits, Brazilian media reported Tuesday.
"I stopped. I can't do it anymore. I don't have the desire," Romario told a reporter from the O Globo news agency in the southern city of Florianopolis where he was vacationing.
The 38-year-old striker said he planned to play one final game to farewell fans at Maracana stadium some time in the second half of 2005.
"I thought of playing one half with a Vasco jersey and the other half with a Flamengo jersey," Romario told the O Globo news agency but said he was afraid that might anger some of Flamengo's more vocal supporters.
"I'm not going to play a goodbye game to get booed," he added.
Romario last played for Rio club Fluminense.
He burst onto the national soccer scene in 1985 and played for Vasco until 1988. He then jumped to Dutch club PSV and Spain's FC Barcelona, and reached soccer's pinnacle at the 1994 World Cup. He was elected FIFA player of the year in 1994.
In 1998, he was cut from the Cup team with a leg injury, and Brazil finished second to host France.
One of his fans is former all-star Tostao, of Brazil's 1970 World Cup champions. Tostao calls Romario the greatest center forward ever and says he would have started on the '70 Cup team, considered one of the best of all time.
In Brazil, Romario continued to shine and a draft-Romario movement swept the country on the eve of the 2002 Cup. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari resisted the pressure, and Romario watched as Brazil picked up a record fifth title in Japan.
In recent years, he played for Flamengo before joining Fluminense.
