Fifteen years after retiring, legendary Brazilian striker Romario it’s back: America de Rio de Janeiro, the club he presides, signed him to try to climb the division in the Carioca Championship.
The world champion with Brazil in 1994 was registered to play in the second division of the Rio de Janeiro state tournament (Campeonato Carioca Serie A2), which starts in May and ends in August.
The Rioja Football Federation confirmed Romario’s registration as a player, adding that he will receive a minimum salary, which will be donated to the club.
The winner of the contest will play in the first division of Rio in early 2025, where teams from Rio that participate in the Brazilian elite compete, such as Flamengo, Fluminense, Vasco da Gama and Botafogo.
Romario He was elected president of America in November for a three-year term. He combines that position with that of federal senator for Rio, for which he was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2022.
Romario, who retired in 2008 and became sports director of América in 2009, played with Brazil in the World Cups in Italy 1990 and the United States 1994, in which he scored five goals and lifted the cup.
In 2009, he briefly came out of retirement to play 22 minutes for América, the favorite team of his late father, Edevair, who died in 2008, in a match that crowned him champion of Rio de Janeiro’s fourth division.
His father, a fervent fan of “Mecão”, dreamed of seeing him defend the club, something that did not happen in the best moments of “Chapulín’s” successful career.
At America, Romário will share with his son, the attacker Romarinho, hired in March, and the forward André Felipe, Neymar’s former teammate at Santos and with passages at Dynamo kyiv, Bordeaux in France and Sporting Lisbon, among others.
In a post on his Instagram page, Romario said: “I’m not going to compete in the championship, but to play some games with the team of my heart and make another dream come true, playing alongside my son (…) What do you think?”
Bell
Romario He played more than 70 games for his country between 1987 and 2005, in which he scored 56 goals. He had four spells at Vasco da Gama and also played for Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Fluminense, Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Valencia.
He claimed to have scored more than 1,000 goals in his career, but those statistics include goals in youth categories, unofficial matches and friendlies.
After retiring from football, he became a senator and led congressional investigations into corruption in Brazilian football.
Founded in 1904 and winner of seven first division Carioca Championships, America is going through a harsh economic crisis.
As president, Romario He has the mandate to clean up the finances and ensure that the team competes in a national competition in 2025.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
