Pele's tears of joy after Brazil won the 1958 World Cup in Sweden are well documented in photographic and video archives, as are Mario Zagallo's tears of joy in World Cup 1998 and Romario's tears of sadness after failing to make the 1998 World Cup squad. Less well known are Leonardo's tears of regret after earning a red card for elbowing Tab Ramos in the Brazil v. USA second round match of World Cup 1994. The Brazil v. USA match famously marked the continued evolution of the Romario and Bebeto strike partnership, featuring, in this case, Romario's assist to Bebeto after overcoming a tangle of defenders. Romario's pass set up Bebeto's game winning, Carlos Alberto-like strike on goal past Tony Meola from the right flank. Bebeto described Leonardo's tears in a FIFA interview as follows:
"When I went into the dressing room at half-time in that game, I saw Leo, someone I've always been very fond of because we started out together with Flamengo. He was sitting there in the corner, crying his eyes out, so I told him not to worry as I would score the winning goal for us."
Bebeto returns to the dressing room at half time to find Leonardo bawling his eyes out and consoles him by telling him he will score the winning goal and negate the setback to the Brazil team created by Leonardo's red card. In this exchange, Bebeto performs what contemporary psychologists call self-actualization by visualizing himself scoring the crucial game winning goal. True to his vision, Bebeto went on to score in precisely the manner that he promised to his friend and teammate Leonardo.
Speaking of his promise to Leonardo, Bebeto remarked:
"And with the help of God I did. When I returned to the dressing room afterwards, he gave me a big hug and thanked me profusely. Without a doubt, I felt something very strong in that game. Something God-given."
Something viscerally powerful about the friendship between Bebeto and Leonardo sparks Brazil's victory. Leonardo's tears touch Bebeto to the point where he assumes responsibility for his friend's sadness, and he returns to the pitch intent to restore his friend's spirits. And after the ball touches the back of the net, Bebeto becomes convinced that Brazil will indeed become four times champions with a conviction that borders on the sublime. "From that moment, I was convinced that we would become four-time World Cup winners," Bebeto reflected.
A similar red card incident transpired the next time Brazil won the World Cup in 2002 in the quarterfinals against England. Ronaldinho received a red card for a foul on Danny Mills and this time, Cafu played the role that Bebeto had played in 1994, by putting his arm around Ronaldinho's shoulder as he was leaving the field and telling him with uncanny conviction: "Don't worry. We will win the game for you."
For more on Brazil v. USA, World Cup 1994, see:
Bringing Back the Beautiful Game. Deadly Striker Partnerships: Romario and Bebeto (Part 2 of 2)
Sources cited: Bebeto's FIFA Interview
Showing posts with label Romario and Bebeto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romario and Bebeto. Show all posts
Friday, December 24, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Flashback: Tears of Sadness for Romario Upon His Exclusion from the 1998 Brazil World Cup Squad
"This is very sad for me, a big disappointment. This is a very difficult moment in my life. From now on, I will start to give value to other things. I just want to thank the national team for having given me the chance to become what I am."
--Romario, June 2, 1998, press conference in Lesigny, France, on his exclusion from the 1998 World Cup squad because of a calf injury
Romario broke down in tears at a press conference after it was announced that he would not accompany the Brazil team to the 1998 World Cup in France. Team doctor Lidio Toledo explained that a recent scan revealed significant damage to Romario's right calf muscle that would require 2-4 weeks to heal, and possibly longer. Coach Mario Zagallo remarked that a decision about Romario's inclusion in the 1998 World Cup squad had been delayed given Romario's status and unique ability to change a game, but that the scan had unilaterally made the difficult decision for the coaching staff. Romario broke down in tears three times during the press conference before he was ultimately escorted off stage. His exclusion from the World Cup squad put an end to the mouthwatering prospect of Romario and Ronaldo partnering together as strikers in front of goal. For at least two years before France 1998, football fans all over the world dreamed about the prospect of the legendary "Ro Ro" combination as the stage on which the World Cup would unfold. The "Ro Ro" combination featured the feared combination of Ronaldo, with his explosive pace and power, partnered alongside Romario, the best finisher in the penalty area in the modern game. Despite having forged an unforgettable strike partnership with Bebeto in 1994, Romario fully admitted that Ronaldo was his preferred strike partner, and Ronaldo in turn, said the same of Romario. In Romario's case, Ronaldo easily detracted the attention of 2-3 defenders, leaving him plenty of space in the box to turn and shoot when delivered the ball. And on Ronaldo's side, the relationship was very much that of an apprentice to a master, in which the 22 year old claimed that he still had much to learn from the 32 year old striker who brought Brazil their first World Cup trophy in 24 years. "We had plans for this World Cup," Ronaldo remarked, "but now they won't happen." As the World Cup in France wore on, news leaked that Ronaldo was missing his preferred strike partner up front because Bebeto was unable to serve as the decoy he needed to break down defenses. Conversely, Romario's tears spoke less about his investment in the World Cup itself, and more about his desire to play alongside the young sensation Ronaldo, his friend, student and mentor, all in one.
--Romario, June 2, 1998, press conference in Lesigny, France, on his exclusion from the 1998 World Cup squad because of a calf injury
Romario broke down in tears at a press conference after it was announced that he would not accompany the Brazil team to the 1998 World Cup in France. Team doctor Lidio Toledo explained that a recent scan revealed significant damage to Romario's right calf muscle that would require 2-4 weeks to heal, and possibly longer. Coach Mario Zagallo remarked that a decision about Romario's inclusion in the 1998 World Cup squad had been delayed given Romario's status and unique ability to change a game, but that the scan had unilaterally made the difficult decision for the coaching staff. Romario broke down in tears three times during the press conference before he was ultimately escorted off stage. His exclusion from the World Cup squad put an end to the mouthwatering prospect of Romario and Ronaldo partnering together as strikers in front of goal. For at least two years before France 1998, football fans all over the world dreamed about the prospect of the legendary "Ro Ro" combination as the stage on which the World Cup would unfold. The "Ro Ro" combination featured the feared combination of Ronaldo, with his explosive pace and power, partnered alongside Romario, the best finisher in the penalty area in the modern game. Despite having forged an unforgettable strike partnership with Bebeto in 1994, Romario fully admitted that Ronaldo was his preferred strike partner, and Ronaldo in turn, said the same of Romario. In Romario's case, Ronaldo easily detracted the attention of 2-3 defenders, leaving him plenty of space in the box to turn and shoot when delivered the ball. And on Ronaldo's side, the relationship was very much that of an apprentice to a master, in which the 22 year old claimed that he still had much to learn from the 32 year old striker who brought Brazil their first World Cup trophy in 24 years. "We had plans for this World Cup," Ronaldo remarked, "but now they won't happen." As the World Cup in France wore on, news leaked that Ronaldo was missing his preferred strike partner up front because Bebeto was unable to serve as the decoy he needed to break down defenses. Conversely, Romario's tears spoke less about his investment in the World Cup itself, and more about his desire to play alongside the young sensation Ronaldo, his friend, student and mentor, all in one.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Deadly Striker Partnerships: Romario and Bebeto (Part 2 of 2)
“We understood each other really well, the moves came off naturally, I always seemed to know where he was on the pitch and he also always knew where to find me. It was perfect.”
--Bebeto on his strike partnership with Romario at the 1994 World Cup
It was the fourth of July, 1994. Brazil had drawn their lot against team USA, on the U.S.’s home soil at the Stanford Stadium, Stanford University in the second round of the World Cup. Even though the U.S. lacked the international experience of the Selecao, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and the Brazilian team knew it would be a difficult match given the blistering heat, the fitness of the U.S. team, their keen competitive spirit and home field advantage. As the first half unfolded, the U.S. defended well and in numbers. To make matters more complicated for Brazil, key winger Leonardo uncharacteristically received a red card for an elbow to the face of Tab Ramos in the 43rd minute. But despite Leonardo's red card, Brazil quickly began to dominate possession and create high percentage goal scoring opportunities as the team surged forward in numbers down the center and through both flanks. In Bebeto's words, the team went from “strength to strength” following Leonardo’s dismissal and continued to create chances despite the U.S. tactic of defending in numbers and waiting for opportunities to counter-attack. In the second half, Romario dispatched several dangerous shots on goal that either narrowly missed the mark or were deftly denied by a posse of U.S. defenders. But in the 70th minute, Brazil finally broke the stalemate. Romario picked up the ball yards ahead of center circle and dribbled toward the penalty box, attracting a cluster of defenders in the process. He then proceeded to dish off the ball to Bebeto who was steaming down the right flank in a play that recalled Pele’s famous pass to Carlos Alberto in the fourth goal against Italy in the 1970 World Cup final. The sprinting Bebeto struck the ball past Tony Meola from a narrow angle to score the winning goal that would send Brazil into the quarter-finals against Holland.
Romario’s dish to Bebeto epitomized the beautiful understanding they developed and displayed throughout World Cup 1994. Brazil opened its scoring account against Russia with a Bebeto corner that Romario toe poked into the bottom right corner of the net. And in Brazil’s second group match against Roger Milla’s Cameroon, fans witnessed a similar interplay between Romario and Bebeto with Romario charging forward amidst a swarm of defenders toward the goal mouth, only to encounter a sliding goal keeper that deflected the ball away from Romario, leftwards into the path of the opportunistic Bebeto who made no mistake in putting the ball in the back of the net.
In the quarterfinals against Holland, it was Bebeto’s turn to assist Romario by steaming down the left flank on a counter-attack and crossing to his leaping strike partner, who timed his jump to perfection by volleying the ball home for a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, with 27 minutes remaining, Bebeto latched onto a magnificent through ball that split the Dutch defense, side-stepped the keeper and soundly dispatched the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. In one of the more memorable goal celebrations in soccer history, Bebeto approached the goal line and rocked his hands together in the motion of rocking a cradle in celebration of the birth of his son Mattheus of two days ago, the only child for whom he had been unable to be present at birth. Within seconds, Romario and Mazinho joined Bebeto in imitating the rock the cradle celebration. Any rumors of a rivalry or ill will between the two strikers quickly evaporated in the face of the glorious image of this deadly strike duo rocking the cradle to celebrate the birth of Bebeto’s child, the emerging World Cup champion Brazil and one of the deadliest strike duos in the history of international soccer.
In a post-tournament interview, Bebeto touchingly reflected on his partnership with Romario as follows:
“The partnership with Romario brought great results for the Seleção. We won everything together; we had a really good understanding. Look, in football there's always the possibility of disagreements between players, but there was none of that between us. On the contrary, we understood each other really well, the moves came off naturally, I always seemed to know where he was on the pitch and he also always knew where to find me. It was perfect. However, it would be very unfair to mention only Romario. We were the strikers and scored almost all of the goals, but it would be unfair of me to ignore Taffarel, Jorginho, Aldair, Marcio Santos, Leonardo, Zinho, Dunga, Mazinho and Mauro Silva. The entire group was crucial to winning that title. Romario and I wouldn't have achieved what we did without the help of the rest of the team. The same goes for all the rest of the delegation, from the kit-man to the masseuse. All of these people were important in helping Brazil get back to the summit of world football after a 24-year wait.”
Instinctively, Bebeto knew where Romario was and vice versa. Bebeto rightly gives credit to all of the other members of the team in bringing about Brazil’s 1994 World Cup victory. Dunga, for example, played more than a few killer passes to the pair of strikers and orchestrated attacks while commanding an almost impenetrable midfield. At the same time, Bebeto’s remarks hint at a certain “perfection” between his understanding with Romario that Brazilian soccer has yet to witness again, even in the face of such illustrious pairings as Rivaldo and Ronaldo or even Romario and Ronaldo. Given the increasingly common 4-3-2-1 formation used in modern soccer, it will be interesting to see if Mano Menezes and the Selecao of 2014—or any international team, for that matter—can resurrect a strike partnership with power and precision comparable to the deadly strikeforce of Romario and Bebeto.
Sources cited:
Bebeto's FIFA Interview
--Bebeto on his strike partnership with Romario at the 1994 World Cup
It was the fourth of July, 1994. Brazil had drawn their lot against team USA, on the U.S.’s home soil at the Stanford Stadium, Stanford University in the second round of the World Cup. Even though the U.S. lacked the international experience of the Selecao, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and the Brazilian team knew it would be a difficult match given the blistering heat, the fitness of the U.S. team, their keen competitive spirit and home field advantage. As the first half unfolded, the U.S. defended well and in numbers. To make matters more complicated for Brazil, key winger Leonardo uncharacteristically received a red card for an elbow to the face of Tab Ramos in the 43rd minute. But despite Leonardo's red card, Brazil quickly began to dominate possession and create high percentage goal scoring opportunities as the team surged forward in numbers down the center and through both flanks. In Bebeto's words, the team went from “strength to strength” following Leonardo’s dismissal and continued to create chances despite the U.S. tactic of defending in numbers and waiting for opportunities to counter-attack. In the second half, Romario dispatched several dangerous shots on goal that either narrowly missed the mark or were deftly denied by a posse of U.S. defenders. But in the 70th minute, Brazil finally broke the stalemate. Romario picked up the ball yards ahead of center circle and dribbled toward the penalty box, attracting a cluster of defenders in the process. He then proceeded to dish off the ball to Bebeto who was steaming down the right flank in a play that recalled Pele’s famous pass to Carlos Alberto in the fourth goal against Italy in the 1970 World Cup final. The sprinting Bebeto struck the ball past Tony Meola from a narrow angle to score the winning goal that would send Brazil into the quarter-finals against Holland.
Romario’s dish to Bebeto epitomized the beautiful understanding they developed and displayed throughout World Cup 1994. Brazil opened its scoring account against Russia with a Bebeto corner that Romario toe poked into the bottom right corner of the net. And in Brazil’s second group match against Roger Milla’s Cameroon, fans witnessed a similar interplay between Romario and Bebeto with Romario charging forward amidst a swarm of defenders toward the goal mouth, only to encounter a sliding goal keeper that deflected the ball away from Romario, leftwards into the path of the opportunistic Bebeto who made no mistake in putting the ball in the back of the net.
In the quarterfinals against Holland, it was Bebeto’s turn to assist Romario by steaming down the left flank on a counter-attack and crossing to his leaping strike partner, who timed his jump to perfection by volleying the ball home for a 1-0 lead. Ten minutes later, with 27 minutes remaining, Bebeto latched onto a magnificent through ball that split the Dutch defense, side-stepped the keeper and soundly dispatched the ball into the bottom right corner of the net. In one of the more memorable goal celebrations in soccer history, Bebeto approached the goal line and rocked his hands together in the motion of rocking a cradle in celebration of the birth of his son Mattheus of two days ago, the only child for whom he had been unable to be present at birth. Within seconds, Romario and Mazinho joined Bebeto in imitating the rock the cradle celebration. Any rumors of a rivalry or ill will between the two strikers quickly evaporated in the face of the glorious image of this deadly strike duo rocking the cradle to celebrate the birth of Bebeto’s child, the emerging World Cup champion Brazil and one of the deadliest strike duos in the history of international soccer.
In a post-tournament interview, Bebeto touchingly reflected on his partnership with Romario as follows:
“The partnership with Romario brought great results for the Seleção. We won everything together; we had a really good understanding. Look, in football there's always the possibility of disagreements between players, but there was none of that between us. On the contrary, we understood each other really well, the moves came off naturally, I always seemed to know where he was on the pitch and he also always knew where to find me. It was perfect. However, it would be very unfair to mention only Romario. We were the strikers and scored almost all of the goals, but it would be unfair of me to ignore Taffarel, Jorginho, Aldair, Marcio Santos, Leonardo, Zinho, Dunga, Mazinho and Mauro Silva. The entire group was crucial to winning that title. Romario and I wouldn't have achieved what we did without the help of the rest of the team. The same goes for all the rest of the delegation, from the kit-man to the masseuse. All of these people were important in helping Brazil get back to the summit of world football after a 24-year wait.”
Instinctively, Bebeto knew where Romario was and vice versa. Bebeto rightly gives credit to all of the other members of the team in bringing about Brazil’s 1994 World Cup victory. Dunga, for example, played more than a few killer passes to the pair of strikers and orchestrated attacks while commanding an almost impenetrable midfield. At the same time, Bebeto’s remarks hint at a certain “perfection” between his understanding with Romario that Brazilian soccer has yet to witness again, even in the face of such illustrious pairings as Rivaldo and Ronaldo or even Romario and Ronaldo. Given the increasingly common 4-3-2-1 formation used in modern soccer, it will be interesting to see if Mano Menezes and the Selecao of 2014—or any international team, for that matter—can resurrect a strike partnership with power and precision comparable to the deadly strikeforce of Romario and Bebeto.
Sources cited:
Bebeto's FIFA Interview
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