Skip to main content
Just Imagine

Romario announces his retirement

  • Story Highlights
  • Brazilian striker Romario ends his playing career at the age of 42
  • He claimed to have scored more than 1000 goals
  • He helped Brazil to win the World Cup in 1994
  • Next Article in World Sport »
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Brazil striker Romario brought his controversial playing career to a close when he announced his retirement at the age of 42.

art.romario.afp.gi.jpg

Romario heads in the goal he claimed was the 1000th of his career.

Speaking at the launch of a dvd the former World Cup winner, who claimed to have scored more than 1000 goals, said: "Officially I'm not playing any more. I've stopped. My time is up. Everything has been a lot of fun."

Romario played for Brazil at two World Cups, scoring five goals to help Brazil win in 1994. He made 73 appearances for his country between 1987 and 2005, scoring 56 goals.

He had four spells at Vasco da Gama, where he started and finished his career, and also played for Flamengo and Fluminense in Brazil, Barcelona, PSV Eindhoven and Valencia.

Romario also turned out for Al Sadd in Qatar, Miami FC in the United States and Adelaide United in Australia.

"These last 20 years for me have been very positive," said Romario. "To be honest, I'm stopping because I don't see myself in any shape to continue playing.

"I haven't played since November, I've put on three or four kilos since then and, at this age, it's difficult to get back to fitness."

Last year Romario scored what he claimed was his 1,000th goal but admitted that many of these were scored in friendlies, youth and testimonial games.

He only scored two more goals, making his last appearance on November 4 as a substitute for Vasco against Internacional.

In December, he was banned for 120 days after testing positive for the banned masking agent finasteride following a game in October, but the decision was quashed in February when a tribunal accepted his appeal that he had inadvertently used the substance as part of treatment for hair loss.

He was dropped on the eve of the 1998 World Cup because of injury and then controversially left out in 2002 by Luiz Felipe Scolari. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

  • E-mail
  • Save
  • Print