1. His 1,000 Goal Record Is A Lie
After being unceremoniously dumped from the 2002 World Cup squad, a bitter and hurt Romário set his sights on a new target. Unable to lift up a second world title, he became determined to establish his legacy as one of Brazil's all-time greats by achieving a feat that only the legendary Pelé had previously managed: scoring 1,000 career goals. The milestone was finally accomplished on 20 May 2007 with a penalty against Sport Recife. Amid farcical scenes, the game stopped for quarter of an hour of celebration as a teary Romário was handed a dedicatory shirt by his own mother. The pageantry did not stop there. Brazil's president Lula looked to capitalise on the striker's popularity by publically paying tribute to him, whilst Romário himself attested that "it was God who wanted the goal to go in today" in typically humble fashion. But somewhere Romário's arithmetic did not add up. It is easy to see how one could lose count in a career as long as Baixinho's, as the striker in fact only netted 743 times. How could such a considerable discrepancy occur? Like Pelé, Romário freely admitted that the total actually represented a 'personal tally', comprising goals scored in youth matches, friendlies, and even games later declared void. Ultimately, the record was a meaningless, arbitrary figure designed to avenge a career in which the diminutive striker could have achieved so much more.
Benjamin Richardson
Editorial Team
Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know).
He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.
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