Hi all,
Time for the Question of the Week, and away from sorry England for once!
At the age of 41, Romario is looking to score his 1,000th goal this Sunday in Brazil.
It will be an epic landmark for the 1994 Brazil World Cup winner and Vasco da Gama star. He will also follow in the footsteps of the great Pele, who scored a total of 1,281 goals.
Go to Vasco’s official website, and you can download his career goals list.
But the Brazilian and world’s media, are steadily questioning his goal tally. Their investigations have revealed that Romario added about 100 goals to his tally, that came from questionable levels of play.
They range from his youth days - when he was as young as 13 - to scoring in less established leagues he played in, when in Miami or Adelaide.
He pulled out from Vasco’s last game earlier in the week because he did not want to score at opponents Americano’s crumbling stadium.
Simply because he wanted to score his 1,000th goal at a more renowned arena like the Maracana, where Vasco will play long-time rivals Botafogo this weekend.
Oh yes, the nerve of Romario. And he has had plenty of that in his career. Be it in front of coaches, team-mates and even some taunting fans, Romario has never shied from antagonising them.
In front of goal, his nerves of steel are legendary. But that’s Romario for you, the best-known Brazilian bad boy, who actually comes off as intelligent, witty, and is one of the most interesting characters to emerge from Brazilian football in the last century.
Some even say it would be ideal if Romario scores his 1,000th goal this Sunday, which is also April Fool’s Day.
In fact, even at his age, Romario could probably walk straight into the current England team and score goals for them!
The Postman's Question of the Week: Do you think Romario has cheated himself and the world with a controversial goal tally, or does it not matter, given his undeniable scoring talent?
Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).
Readers' views will be published on Tuesday with The Postman's spread of letters, as we announce our new prize sponsors.
Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman" (by clicking the link on the right).
At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
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32 comments:
It does not matter given his undeniable scoring talent. When I was in my lower secondary school days, I heard about Romario being the bad boy of Barcelona. And in 1994, when Brazil won the World Cup, Romario played a HUGE role in his country's victory. He and Bebeto made a tag team of unity in scoring goals freely. They even invented the 'carrying baby' goal celebration.
Romario is an extraordinary talent. He loves playing for Brazil. In World Cup 1998, he was supposed to be in the squad but pulled out through injury. What did he do? He CRIED in front of the press conference to show his sadness at not getting to don the yellow shirt and blue shorts.
Romario's goals are very legendary and who can dribble past 2 or 3 world class defenders and slot home a goal these days? Who? Only Ronaldinho comes close and they are both Brazillians.
So, it does not matter when Romario score his 1000th goal. He is a true, living legend in football. *Hats off Romario*
Name : Qyaerus-Syahrein
Age : 25
Occupation : Future student at Temasek Polytechnic taking a course in Diploma In Mobile And Wireless Computing
Favourite Team : Chelsea
I, Qyaerus-Syahrein, is officially declaring his interest in winning Letter Of The Month for April.
And if Ernest Luis has a problem with that, I will try again May, June, July, August, September...
I don't think it really matters. This whole official goal-counting business has been pretty much confusing and often in the grey area in the first place. Although Pele was the only player recognised by FIFA records to have ever surpassed the 1,000th goal mark, some people have said that players such as Arthur Friedenreich and Ferenc Puskas may also have scored 1000 goals during their career.
If Romario wants to cheat himself, so be it. I don't think he has cheated the world. It's up to the individual on whether he or she wishes to recognise his "999 goals" since FIFA would not be doing so.
Romario set the 1000th goal mark as a pre-requirement for retirement. If he wishes to do it sooner (as maybe scoring another 100 would take too long), then it's up to him! Perhaps, his egoistic self just wanted to ensure his name is spoken in the same breath as that of Pele, despite all the differences between them (Pele scored his 1000th goal when he was only 29, and in quite a different era of football).
But one thing we should all at least agree on is that he has been one of the greatest talents football has had.
To me, I caught notice of Romario during the 94 WCup. Someone who is synonymous with the unelegant toe-poke, he was definitely instrumental in Brazil's WCup win that year. Even though he was outscored by a certain Russian (Oleg Salenko if my memory serves me right), I started taking notice of this genius. I always marvelled how at 1.68m or so, he still manages to score many headers against taller opponents.
I guess Romario was always an enigma to not only his teammates, legends but also the coaches. Due to his extraordinary talent, Romario had frequent privileges. Coaches accomodate him by allowing him to train and travel to matches on his own. One would recall his bust-ups with Edmundo and his frequent debates with Pele about who is the greatest footballer. To me, even if he includes the goals debatable, it does not matter. I guess he just wants to be on par with Pele who has 1000+ goals to lend more credentials on him being a better player. Even if the approach is wrong, let's applaud him because to score 900 goals (without the debatable ones) in modern soccer is no mean feat. His character may not be the best of the lot but his talent should never be questioned. Even at the age of 41, he is still scoring goals in the Brazilian League. I am not trying to hint anything but given the massive connections to triads in Brazil, I guess it would be no surprise if he does notch his '1000' goal tomorrow. The Brazilians will party and no one except critics of this man will be bothered about the validity of the goals. Well, be it 900 or 1000, its still a remarkable record isn't it?
cheers,
kel
“A goal is a goal”, we have often heard this phrase surrounding controversial decisions on the validity of goals. It is of no difference this time with the question on the validity of the 1000 goals record of flamboyant Brazil legend, Romario.
Cheating or self-deceptive we might question, but the fact is he just sticks to the fundamental concept of the phrase mentioned above, any goal scored by him is his by all means. Record books might not regconised his 1000 goals record efforts as some of the goals in his own-kept list includes goals scored in non-competitive games, friendlies and even in youth matches when he was not even allow to watch RA shows. However, we cannot take away the fact that he did scored that many goals and I swear he can score goals for fun. Football is in this man’s blood, therefore when we are taking goal records of him, are we just going to take goals scored in competitive games into consideration or the holistic approach when every goal scored by him, be it with his head, feet or even backside to be counted? The guys in the headquarter of Guinness World Record surely will implement the first method but I say lets just give the record to Romario for his colorful football career even it might not be a concrete valid 1000 goals record.
Surely it won’t be that hard to allow a legend to bow out on a high and I guess he wouldn’t care much about his doubters too as he already knew that the 1000th goal could be arriving on 1st April, April Fool’s Day. A joke to us maybe but definitely not him. Lets samba for one of football’s great who graced the pitch!
I personally feel Romario ain't cheating anyone. Romario is the third highest scorer in history of the Brazilian team.
He had scored, the most noticable ones, 323 goals for Vasco until date. 204 for Flamengo and 165 for PSV. He had played for big clubs in the La Liga too, but wasn't much of an impact.
Many players have dreams when they are in their teenage years. For Romario himself is to score 1000 goals. He didn't mention that it only count his senior goals. Friendlies, Youth goals and national goals count too.
He's just a goal away from achieving his childhood dream. So, let him be. It wouldn't matter for him even if it'll not be recorded into FIFA history.
The likes of Friedenreich and Puskas have also scored over 1000 goals in their career but they were just not recognised by FIFA.
Pukas and Friedenreich didn't cheat the whole world and themselves. Romario won't too.
Romario is the reason why I started watching and playing soccer since 1994. The solo goals that he craved out nothing was simply amazing. It was amazing because many teams at USA'94 adopted a defensive approach. Undeniably, he has a breathtaking career laden with brilliant goals. I think the only person who cares most about the 1000th goal benchmark is Romario, himself. Coming from a soccer nation that mass produces talents, it's no wonder that Romario wants to emulate Pele's 1000 goals feat and emerge out of his shadows.
He does not need the 1000 goals to prove that he is good. In fact, in the hearts of many footballing fans, he is a legendary clinical forward! Off the pitch he might not display the same cool head thinking, but on pitch, he simply makes the chances count. England should nationalized him and allow him to donned in the 'Three Lions' jersey before the Lions turned into tame cats!
The goal tally is controversial only because it is not approved by FIFA. Why would it be considered cheating if Romario did really scored those 100 goals though they came from the lower leagues or non-competitive matches. It is not as if he conjured up the goals which would have been tantamount to cheating.
Moreover, at the end of the day, the number doesn't count anything. He may scored 1000 goals or may even break Pele's record. However, to footfall fans, what is more important in their memories is his striking prowess and ability to dribble past defenders beautifully.
As lala says, Romario set the 1000th goal mark as a pre-requirement for retirement. If that is the case, perhaps he want to make his 1000th goal (& probably his last match?) a memorable one and that is befitting of his reputation by scoring in Maracana. Of course the reason for pulling out of the last game is superfluous but how many 1000 goals can one score?
The number of goals means absolutely nothing. What is cheating over a hundred goals? Who gives a flying? Scoring a hundred more or less won't make Romario any more of a legend, the only real difference is his conscience.
Only Romario should be concerned with that question, not anyone else. A 41-year-old man needs closure. Leave him be.
Many of the great forwards – and not just Brazilian ones – just play further and further back as their career progresses to prolong their career. (Rivaldo is now, of all things, a central midfielder at Olympiakos. Dwight Yorke is a defensive midfielder!!!!!) But Romario won't.
The real point of interest is his stubbornness, not petty, shameful arithmetic over a hundred goals.
Everyone has their own personal goal and Romario’s aim is to reach the 1000 goal milestone before he retired and joining the like of Pele in the history of football.
His goals may be scored at different levels of league and even before he become a professional but that does not matter as long as all his recorded goals are within his conscience. Be it official or not, once a ball is over the goal line it is a goal.
900 or 1000, the numbers of goals does not really make a difference compared to the contributions he made to Brazil football. Romario should be respected for his genius in football and also being one of the greatest players of all time.
Even though Romario's goals tally may not be totally true, he is amazing. He said he has 999 goals now. Let's say that 101 goals were "unofficial" goals. Tell me the name of a player that scored 898 goals in his career (other than Pele, of course who was a different era).
Any doubting of Romario's 1000th goal doesn't make a really big deal. He will probably score his 1000th next Sunday against Flamengo ( the arch-enemy of Vasco, Romario's team.
If you see Romario score goals one-on-one against goalkeepers, he does not make a mistake. He will follow through and go around the keeper and into the net. He can lob a ball up and around a defender near the goal mouth, then go round another defender and round the goalkeeper and into the goal net. Very few England strikers have the clinical finishing of Romario.
He is a striker extraordinaire!! He just want to be remembered.
Samuel Ng
Finance manager
51, Liverpool
Hahas, Liverpool just won 4-1 against Arsenal.
At last a revenge.
Romario is undoubtedly the “Artful Dodger” of Latin football. A genius who continues to pick the pockets of defences at a ripe old age of 41, Romario’s legendary goal-poaching exploits has often been dogged by controversy.
Hence, it’s no surprise his personal crusade on reaching that 1000th milestone has thrown a twist in the tale, albeit for all the wrong reasons. As he keeps begging for more, the world has refused to let him have his porridge.
Never one to bow down to public opinion, it’s not surprising he remains steadfast on pursuing the landmark he feels is rightfully his.
While many are critical of his claims, what matters most is the man himself feels the milestone is genuinely his to keep. It’s a personal legacy Romario needs as closure before he finally hangs up his boots.
Whether he really did score 1000 goals or not, it shouldn’t distract us from the fact that Romario was truly a phenomenon whose goals brought joy to millions of people.
Thus, instead of second guessing his milestone, we should remember the man for all the wonderful goals he has scored throughout his illustrious career. All 925 of them to be exact ;)
q-s match report
Watford Vs Chelsea
Chelsea won with a late goal by Salomon Kalou. 0-1
I watched the 1st half but fell asleep in the 2nd half except the last 10 minutes where Kalou scored in injury time with a header.
Bear in mind this is what I saw in the 1st half...
Petr Cech saved some nice Watford's players shots.
Ashley Cole was average at left back.
Terry and Carvalho are fabulous in central defence. (As usual)
Glad to see Geremi at right back. He's very professional.
Lampard, Makelele and Ballack looked a lack of cohesion in central midfield.
My latest favourite Chelsea player Andriy Shevchenko did what he could.
Didier Drogba tried.
Shaun Wright-Phillips did some mindless dribbling.
The key words for this report are : Chelsea NEVER GAVE UP
This report is brought to you by www.geocities.com/syahrein81/index.html
Thank you.
In short, they play boring football compared to the champions-elect. For a fan of Chelsea to even fall asleep watching their insipid display, it says a lot about who many neutrals want to win the Premiership this season. Enough said!
A-ha. I remember you from 'the wrie off' days. You funny supervillian. I fell asleep because I went to the library at City Hall in the afternoon reading old comics and then had a street soccer match which I scored 5 goals ala Andriy Shevchenko. Want to come over to the street soccer court near Hougang Point, evertonian? Ask for 'Alex', my nickname. Plain water is STILL better than Chang Beer. Haha.
>>In short, they play boring football compared to the champions-elect. For a fan of Chelsea to even fall asleep watching their insipid display, it says a lot about who many neutrals want to win the Premiership this season. Enough said!
Or maybe its because the match was played at 12.10 AM.
There are many great players, scored goals which surpassed 1000th mark legitimately in FIFA's standard, but keep a low profile like Fredenreich, Puskas, De Stefano or Fontaine whose record, of 13 goals scored in a single World Cup tournament, still standing.
If Romario wish to achieve 1000th goal mark, he shouldn't snub Scolari who called him up to play friendly international.As the result ends with exiled from national team which could help him to fasten his quest for 1000 goals.
It is his extreme narcissic nature and obsession of breaking Pele's records, led him to include goals didn't even exist in games with his professional clubs.
Self-delusion with lies will encourage future impressionable youngster players in deception of personal scoring records.
Romario needs professional help from IMH before declaring "Call Me God."
From: Chester Low
I've been in IMH many times. I'm not ashamed to say it. The good thing are the pretty female student nurses and female nurses. They like me because I'm the most well-behaved patient. I DO NOT agree I'm diagnosed with 'Bipolar Disorder'. One day when I'm rich, I'm going to sue their ass off. Haha.
Ian MacIntosh, in his article, mentioned Pulau Tekong is the place Premiership players should be trained
Provided it is aka Temptation Island, Premiership players won't bother to check in.
Hill, players chase after bikini-clad babes.
Jetty, players can paint their naked objects of desire.
Mess Halls, players queue up Dentist Chair to quench their thirst.
Bunkers, it will be noisy with creaking sounds 24/7.
After leaving the island, players are exgtremely tired but happy.
From: Chester Low
Chester, you are one funny man!!! *Hi-5s Chester* Can I get a free Iceman figuirine?
No doubts about Romario being a legend and a talented finisher, so to the rest of us, it does not really matter how many goals he has scored. However, at the age of 41, he knows his career is nearing its end and probably will want to end it with a milestone that only Pele has reached.
Romario added goals from his youth days to his total goal tally. That dates back to more than 20 years ago. How does he actually remember his goal tally since then? Unless he has been jotting down his goal tally into his personal dairy.
I won’t be too surprised if he cheated himself and the world about his goal tally. These days, honesty is found wanting in sports. Players simulate to win fouls, deceive referees and always appealing for a throw-in when it clearly shows that it was themselves who last touched the ball. If they are cheating to gain small advantages in matches, I don’t see why Romario wouldn’t for a magical 1000th for the record books.
-Raymond Ng, 19, student, Man U fan
Romario is spelt as LEGEND. There is no doubt about that! He does not need the 1000 goals to prove anything to anybody. His place as a football legend was etched when he led Brazil to the 94 title.
He might have cheated in tallying his 999 goals but does it matter? Who cares whether he has officially scored 700, 800, 900 or a 1000 goals? It will just add on to his list of personal triumphs and nothing more. Romario's milestone's might be an unofficial one but it will not dampen the fact that he has been a clinical goal poacher.
Anyway since day one, he has clearly made his stand that some of his 'goals' were from his youth days, I don't understand why people will make a big fuss over his goals. It's either official or unofficial.
Let's let a 40+ footballer bask in his final lap of glory before he fades out into retirement. Romario I salute you for being so focused and always pushing forward towards the 1000 goal barrier!
lim boon hock, prediction please for Chelsea Vs Valancia. cfcfan too. And the rest of the Blue Brigade!
Though I've never ever seen Romario play, I've heard lots of good things about him.
To a small extent, I could say it is kind of controversial, because Romario added about 100 goals from his youth times.
But this controversy does not dampen the fact that he is an established forward! It also does not deny the fact that he shook the world with his goal-scoring talent!
As for the number of goals that he really scored, most of us won't know, but it doesn't really matter. Because it is his talent that matters. Lets just believe him and wish him luck in scoring that 1000th goal, before he retires!
Romario is a living legend no doubt about it. And no matter how controversial the player is on or off the pitch, a legend is still a legend if the player gives an eye catching performance week in week out.
Who could forget Maradona's 'hand of god' against England. Or George Best playboy lifestyle. Still these players are the best in their era.
The same goes to Romario. No matter how many goals he claimed to have scored, he's still a great player. A truly great striker is not only judge by the number of goals he scored but also the importance of the goal. A match winning goal is definately worth than five goals scored against amateur sides indeed. Though standing at only 168cm tall, he still manages to score plenty of goals with his head unlike lanky Crouch.
Just one advice for Romario. If he wants to surpass Pele's record 1281 goals, he should include the number of goals he scored while playing Fifa 2007 on his playstation!
Muhammad Amsyar 20
Student
H/P: 97867172
Liverpool Fc
I remember watching a match in 2007 called 'Tournoi De France' whereby 4 countries - England, Italy, France and Brazil participate. It was England Vs Brazil. Guess who scored, Ro-ma-rio. 1-0. England won the tournament with 6 points, the rest I don't care to remember. :D
I meant 1997. ernest luis, I'm going down to buy The New Paper later. If my post don't get published AGAIN, I'd still keep my cool but PLEASE make sure those posts are better than mine. Peace into you.
*Claps* *Claps* *Claps*. ernest still refuses to publish my masterpiece. I don't know what the other regulars did to get their letters published. But ernest, one thing you don't know about q-s is, I ain't no 'angkat bodek' type of person. Wednesday I have a VERY funny poem for ernest luis in Malay. Hope you can translate it in English by...nor hadi? trainee teacher, eh? Aku dapat A2 untuk Malay 'O' Level. Kau A1, ke? Syabas.
hey, i will like to ask you a question. Do you know why channel 5 has not telecast champions league football this season?
No money (which is ironic when they are monopolising Singapore's free-to-air channels).
LOL cfcfan. That's why lah, at school never study properly. Now no money to pay for cable. Or be like me lah, pass 'O' levels at age 25 and go straight to Poly. Never mind, my father can still support me (he got 'A' levels). After 5 years time, I GUARANTEE my salary will be $3000 plus. Sorry girls, I'm taken.
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