Romario, the genius who never stopped making headlines

“Romario, the genius of geniuses”: the phrase captures a player whose talent and temperament continue to command attention. Twenty-five years after his “cow’s tail” against Alkorta, the memory of the move sits alongside the career total Romario claims: 1,002 goals. He celebrates the figure regardless of FIFA’s tally.

Recent events have given him a fresh stage. Romario has defended Cristiano Ronaldo in his conflict with Jorge Jesus. Speaking about the latter, he said: “His mistake was not telling Jorge Jesus to go fuck himself.” CR7 has become the target of his outspoken style, in keeping with a figure described as provocative, unpredictable, inventive and untameable.

That outspokenness goes with a reputation as a player who was hard to control, both for defenders and coaches. In his early days at Barça, Cruyff summed him up: “He is a genius inside the penalty area.” Hiddink, who coached him at PSV, offered a broader take on gifted players’ temperaments: “All footballers with a special gift are difficult. That is the price the club has to pay.”

Romario never claimed to follow the rules of a model athlete. He said: “I never behaved like a professional, I was never an athlete. I was a football player, but I never slept as I should, I didn’t eat like an athlete, I was always late, I didn’t train hard every day, and I didn’t respect rest periods, but I scored one thousand and two goals.” He also recalled: “If I woke up in the mood, I had sex with my wife and then went to the match.”

“I need more holidays,” he demanded. Cruyff replied: “Let him come back whenever he wants; if necessary, he will train with the reserve team. If he wants to break his contract, we will make the deal of the century.”

Like Ronaldo later on, Romario also had a spell at PSV in Eindhoven before moving on towards the Mediterranean. The penalty-area brilliance, the escapes and the sharp words remain part of the portrait of a player who can still surprise when his tongue goes into carnival mode.