Dreaming of following in Shorty's footsteps
Named after the former player, 16-year-old Romário dreams of more titles at Flamengo
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
The number isn't 11, it's 18. The cleats aren't all black, they're yellow. But the name is the same; his sprints are reminiscent of the former player, and so is his personality. The still-young Romário, just 16 years old, was the standout player in the 2-0 victory over Botafogo, which gave Flamengo its first undefeated title in the Rio de Janeiro Youth Football Championship. Born on the day of the 1994 World Cup final, he wasn't given that name for nothing and hopes to live up to it in the future.
His arrival at the Gávea team wasn't easy. Hailing from Aperibé, in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, the player lives at Ninho do Urubu, the club's training center, and arrived at the club after excelling at CFZ. Far from his family, but focused on his work, he hopes to continue reaping the rewards of his dedication.
"I live in the training camp, at Ninho do Urubu, and it's difficult to be away from my family, but I'm working hard. I got here because of my work and now it's time to continue reaping the rewards of that dedication," said the player, who praised his teammates and didn't want to take credit for the victory alone.
"Thank God I was able to help the team of players born in 1993, which is very strong. I'm from 1994, I'm still in my first year of youth, and winning this title is very good. I'm very happy, the emotion is different, and this game will be unforgettable. It was exciting," he noted.
He hasn't seen his older, already renowned namesake play, but he knows everything the little one has done and hopes to follow in the footsteps of the eternal Penalty Box Genius.
"He is a player recognized around the world for his football and I am very honored to have his name on my name and, of course, I try to mirror what he did on the field," said the striker, who did not hide his emotion for winning the title with the Flamengo shirt.
"It's a great team, with tradition, I'm very happy to be playing for Flamengo and to be able to give Flamengo such an important title," he concluded.
His arrival at the Gávea team wasn't easy. Hailing from Aperibé, in the interior of Rio de Janeiro, the player lives at Ninho do Urubu, the club's training center, and arrived at the club after excelling at CFZ. Far from his family, but focused on his work, he hopes to continue reaping the rewards of his dedication.
"I live in the training camp, at Ninho do Urubu, and it's difficult to be away from my family, but I'm working hard. I got here because of my work and now it's time to continue reaping the rewards of that dedication," said the player, who praised his teammates and didn't want to take credit for the victory alone.
"Thank God I was able to help the team of players born in 1993, which is very strong. I'm from 1994, I'm still in my first year of youth, and winning this title is very good. I'm very happy, the emotion is different, and this game will be unforgettable. It was exciting," he noted.
He hasn't seen his older, already renowned namesake play, but he knows everything the little one has done and hopes to follow in the footsteps of the eternal Penalty Box Genius.
"He is a player recognized around the world for his football and I am very honored to have his name on my name and, of course, I try to mirror what he did on the field," said the striker, who did not hide his emotion for winning the title with the Flamengo shirt.
"It's a great team, with tradition, I'm very happy to be playing for Flamengo and to be able to give Flamengo such an important title," he concluded.
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