Brazilian legend and World Cup winner, Romário de Souza Fari (Romario), has announced his return to professional football 15 years after he hung his boots.
The 58-year-old has signed for America-RJ, a second-division club playing in the second division of the football league system in Rio de Janeiro.
The former Barcelona and Valencia PSV Eindhoven forward will play for the Brazilian club in the second division of the Carioca Championship, which begins in May.
Romario has been serving as America RJ president since 2009, and he was elected senator for Rio de Janeiro in 2014.
In a video on Instagram announcing his return, Romario said his dream is to play alongside his 30-year-old son, Romarinho, who was recently signed for America-RJ.
His words: “I’m not going to compete in the championship, but rather play a few games for the team of my heart and make another dream come true, playing alongside my son. What do you think?”
According to Marca, while the 1994 World Cup winner will earn the minimum wage while playing for the club, he will return it as a donation.
The Carioca Championship of the A2 Series will begin on May 18 with the participation of 12 clubs: América, Americano, Araruama, Artsul, Audax Rio, Cabofriense, Duque de Caxias, Maricá, Olaria, Petrópolis, Resende, and Serrano.
During his career, Romario was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1994 and received the Golden Ball for his exceptional performances for Brazil at the World Cup.
According to The Sun, Romario, in an interview, claimed that only Diego Maradona and Pele were better footballers than him.
He, however, admitted that four players are on the same level as him: Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
During his career, Romario scored 55 goals in 70 games for the Brazilian national team. He also won the Copa America on three occasions, with 10 major trophies at club level.
