During the 1980’s, a handful of Brazilian footballers swapped their home nation for the adventure of the European game.
One of the first players to make the move was forward Mirandinha, switching from Palmeiras to join English First Division side Newcastle United in 1986.
By the age of 22, rising star Romario had already established himself as a promising talent within the realms of Brazilian football. Across four seasons with Vasco da Gama, the youngster already had two Campeonato Carioca league titles to his name. From 1985 to 1988, he scored an impressive 80 goals in 141 matches.
By 1987, Romario earned his first call-up to the Brazilian national side, in his first calendar year making six international appearances and scoring four times.
However, Romario truly caught the attention of a global audience during the 1988 Olympics where Brazil reached the final of the competition.
The striker was beyond impressive, scoring seven goals in just six games including a hat-trick vs Australia during the group stages and in the final itself, the Brazilians eventually losing out to the Soviet Union and taking home a silver medal.
Going Dutch
His displays were more than enough to entice Dutch side PSV Eindhoven to sign him for around £12.5 million or the equivalent of £40 million today. At the time, the transfer was viewed as a bargain and great value for a player considered perhaps the most promising striker in world football.
Romario was renowned for his ability to operate in confined spaces within the penalty box and sharpness in goalscoring situations. He was a stocky, strong and tricky forward with a prolific streak, very much in the mould of Sergio Aguero.
During his debut campaign, the Brazilian settled incredibly quickly, going on to score a respectable 26 goals in 31 games across all competitions and still only 23-years old. PSV instantly benefited from Romario’s brilliance as they secured both the 1988/89 Eredivisie title and KNVB Cup.
His fine form continued on the continent too, Romario scoring three times on the way to Brazil’s 1989 Copa America triumph, forming a cohesive partnership with Bebeto – a relationship that would only continue to improve in the coming years.
Hitting His Stride
Romario’s second campaign with PSV was even more spectacular than his first. He continued to hone his already mesmerising talents, the 1989/90 season proving unbelievably fruitful for the Brazilian, in 27 games racking up an unbelievable 31 goals. PSV missed out on the league title to Ajax by a single point but did retain the KNVB Cup as they beat Vitesse 1-0 in the final.
Following a disappointing 1990 World Cup campaign, in which Brazil crashed out in the last-16, Romario failed to start a game. Yet he returned to Dutch football full of the energy and excellence that had served him so well across previous two league campaigns.
During the 1990/91 season, the Brazilian hit 30 goals in as many games and helped PSV capture another League title. The following 1991/92 season saw him plagued with injury and most significantly a broken leg early in the campaign.
He returned to action in the New Year, managing a total of 19 appearances and contributing nine goals. PSV went on to win the Dutch title once more along with the domestic Super Cup but struggled in Europe – exiting the European Cup in round two.
In what proved to be Romario’s final season in the Netherlands, his 1992/93 campaign was the Brazilian’s most productive, finding the net 32 times in 39 matches. It was the year in which Romario began to hit somewhat of a peak, driven by an unswerving belief in his abilities and overwhelming self-confidence, the attributes he would be displayed throughout the remainder of his career.
Time For Change
By the summer of 1993, Romario’s time at PSV naturally drew to a close and he departed having scored an immense 128 goals in 149 games across five glorious seasons.
Barcelona paid £10.8 million to prize Romario away which is the equivalent to £160 million today! The Brazil international became yet another world class acquisition towards Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” with a squad that already included a host of outstanding talents such as strike partner Hristo Stoichkov, Michael Laudrup and Ronald Koeman.
It was during his time at Camp Nou, lovers of the sport watched the Brazilian transform from a promising talent and into one of the deadliest finishers football has ever witnessed.
Yet it was at PSV where Romario perfected his game and formed the foundations on which an everlasting legacy was built.
