Now a straight-talking Brazilian politician, there was once a time when Romario was considered the craziest footballer on the planet. During impressive spells in Europe with PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona, Romario successfully balanced an all night party lifestyle with all-conquering displays on the pitch.
How did Romario ensure he had the required energy to make his short blistering runs and finishes for Barca and PSV? Simple; he never trained. He was regularly late for training at Barca and when manager Johan Cruyff attempted to encourage some punctuality with fines for lateness, Romario had the perfect response.
"I don't care about the fines. I am going to win the World Cup and I will pay them with the money I make from it," he said. In the end, Cruyff allowed the Brazilian to train and work at his own pace, with often bizarre results.
The Dutchman recalls: “One time, Romario asked me if he could miss two days of training to return to Brazil for the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. I replied, ‘if you make two goals tomorrow, I’ll give you two extra days rest compared to the other players.
“The next day, Romario scored his second goal 20 minutes into the game and immediately gestured to me asking to leave. He told me, ‘Coach, my plane leaves in an hour’. I had no choice but to let Romario leave for fulfulling his promise.”
>>66403684
While one-time friend and then rival Romario enjoyed a more star-studded career, when it comes to lunacy, no one comes close to Edmundo. Nicknamed ‘the Animal’ he was an absolute beast of a player both in front of goal and at the front of the queue for the bar.
In 1997, the forward got his opportunity to shine on the continent with a big money move to Fiorentina in Serie A. At first it proved a masterstroke, with Edmundo striking up a dangerous partnership with Gabriel Batistuta which saw the Animal notch up 12 goals in 37 games.
However, Batigol was ruled out for a several key weeks of the season, leaving Edmundo to lead the line for the Viola as they chased a rare Scudetto win. At this point, he did what any self-respecting nutcase would do; he cited a clause in his contract that allowed him to return to Rio for the upcoming carnival, something which was evidently a requirement for any Brazilian superstar.
Without a fit striker, Fiorentina saw their title hopes sink without a trace, while all the time Edmundo was out sinking the drinks in his homeland, surrounding by fans and beautiful women.In 1999 things got stranger for Edmundo, after pictures emerged of him feeding beer to a chimp he had hired for a circus-themed party in his back garden. Bizarre, wreckless and totally in keeping with his career, the forward remains the one true mentalist of the modern game.
This nigga really worsened the already terrible reputation that Brazilian players had of being a bunch of unreliable party boys.
Good thing we have a few expections, like that autist Rivaldo
>>66403827
You only live once and if you don't enjoy it what's the point? Sure he could've left a far bigger legacy in the sport if he had been far more dedicated to his craft but in the end you have to enjoy your life
Messi's joy on the other hand seems to be playing and winning
>>66403794
Zandona really shook his brain
>>66405129
>Sud Americana culture
