Brazilian football icon Romario announces return from retirement at 58

At 58, Brazilian football legend Romario has quite a resume: World Cup winner, senator, president of his favorite club, America of Rio de Janeiro.

Now, 15 years after hanging up his boots, the iconic striker has decided to add another entry to his CV, coming out of retirement to rejoin America as a player.

The 1994 World Cup winner announced Wednesday he has officially registered to play again for struggling America, who are currently playing in the second division of the Rio state championship and fighting to return to the top-flight.

“I’m ready to try to give my beloved America a little help,” Romario wrote on Instagram.

“Thank you everyone for your support!”

It will be a family affair: Romario’s son Romarinho, 30, also plays as a forward for the club.

“It will be dream come true to share the pitch with my son,” Romario wrote.

In an earlier post Tuesday, Romario said he did not plan to play the entire state championship.

“I just want to play some matches with my beloved team and realize the dream of playing alongside my son,” he wrote.

Romario grew up cheering for America, his late father’s favourite club.

But he started his professional career with their local rivals, Vasco, and soon transferred to Europe, where he shone with PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona.

Along the way, he was an integral member of the Brazil side that won the 1994 World Cup in the United States, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year award the same year.

He retired in 2008, but made a first come-back the following year to play a brief stint at America.

Elected to the Senate in 2015 and re-elected in 2022, Romario has been president at America since January, tasked with patching up the club’s tattered finances and returning it to top-flight play.

AFP