Former Sounders Opponent to Stand for Brazilian Parliament

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Brazilian World Cup winner Romario is to run for election to the national parliament of his native Brazil (Congresso Nacional) at the same time as he is fighting off debt and fraud charges. Romario, whose full name is Romario de Souza Faria, played for the Brazil side that won the World Cup held in the USA after a penalty shoot out with Italy at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena. Romario took Brazil’s second penalty in the shoot-out, helping to steady their nerves after Márcio Santos had missed their opener.

The 43-year-old scored 70 goals in 80 games for Brazil. He was to join Brazil’s Socialist Party (Partido Socialista Brasileiro) and stand in the 2010 federal elections, the daily O Globo (The World) reported Tuesday.

“Romario will have policies and can’t just depend on the votes of his supporters,” the PSB’s Rio state chairman Alexandre Cardos told the paper.

In August, Romario, who also faces tax evasion allegations and is embroiled in an illegal betting probe, was forced to sell a luxury penthouse apartment here, which went for $4.37 million. All profits from the sale were seized by the judicial authorities to help pay his debts.

Romario played for a host of top clubs including PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona and finished his career at Brazilian side Vasco de Gama in 2008. In 2006, he played 26 matches for Miami FC in the USL whom he joined along with former 1994 FIFA World Cup teammate Zinho.

He helped Miami FC reach their first ever USL First Division Playoffs, scoring 18 league goals in 23 appearances for the team. The Florida side finished fifth, above the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers, but below Vancouver Whitecaps.

They met the Caps in the quarter finals of the play-offs losing both matches, 2-0 and 4-1 for a 6-1 aggregate. The Whitecaps went on to win the trophy that year. He scored a hat-trick against the Sounders in a 5-3 defeat at Tropical Park Stadium, Miami on June 18th of that year. Among current Sounders who played against him are Chris Eylander and Roger Levesque.

Now we’ve asked our good friends at GOALSeattle.com if they have a picture of him playing against the Sounders – and look what they sent us.