Romário (Romário de Souza Faria), 1966–, Brazilian soccer player. A striker, he had a long stride and outstanding control and mobility despite his small stature (5 ft 6 in./1.68 m). He played with Rio de Janeiro's Vasco da Gama (1985–88), then joined the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven (1988–93), where he scored 165 goals in 167 games and the club won the league title thrice. Moving in 1993 to FC Barcelona, he helped them win the 1993–94 La Liga championship. Returning to Brazil in 1995, he played for a number of teams, including Vasco da Gama. At the national level, he was the leading goal scorer and helped Brazil win the silver medal in the 1988 Olympics, and in the 1989 Copa América he scored the only goal in the final against Uruguay, ending a long trophy drought for Brazil. In 1994 his five goals secured the World Cup for Brazil, and he won the Golden Ball as the tournament's outstanding player. That same year he was named the Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Player of the Year. In all he scored 734 goals in club and international play. He retired in 2008, but later he won election as a Brazilian deputy (2010) and senator (2014).
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