FC Barcelona has housed many of the game’s greats, and many of them in the modern generation. The likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez, Xavi Hernandez, and similar names are still relevant even today in different ways. However, it is not only the modern generation of superstars that Barcelona has been a home to.
Even in the past, many greats of the game have worn the famous and iconic Blaugrana colors. This included the Brazilian icon and legend, Romario, as well. A fabled player who has achieved a lot in his time while playing as a professional, few would claim to go against his legacy as a player.
His own words, however, do seem to put him on the rather eccentric side of players. Recently pointed out by AS in a report, the now 58-year-old retired former Barcelona player and Brazilian National team icon made a claim that would understandably raise a lot of eyebrows.
Recounting and revisiting his playing days, Romario used his own achievements and compared those to the football of today, making an outlandish and arguably exaggerated claim that he would score ‘2000’ goals in today’s version of football:
“I think that on the field my success would be greater because today the guys are very stupid. They run too much. In my time, football was also physical, it was always like that, but the players were much more technical and much more intelligent… I’m sure I would score more than 2,000 goals today.”
While these words can be deemed outlandish, there is no denying Romario’s own quality as a player. A former FIFA World Cup, and FIFA World Cup golden ball winner, he was also part of Barcelona icon Johan Cruyff’s dream team and was undoubtedly an elite-level goalscorer during his time in Barcelona, where he spent two years as part of his highest-level experience of European football.
Moreover, not all of his words seem to be of a distasteful nature towards the modern generation of footballers and the sport at large. Previously, he has even heaped praise towards the latest Brazilian forward to join Barcelona, Vitor Roque.
He claimed the player to be one of the most complete prospects to come out of Brazil, and while his future at Barcelona may have staggered since arriving, words of praise from an icon like Romario carry huge weight.
