Bebeto

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Bebeto returned to his native club Flamengo in 1996 after his stint with Sevilla. His time there was brief; he played just 15 games before returning to Spain to play for Sevilla, where he never scored again. In 1997, he joined Cruzeiro but only played one match: the 1997 Intercontinental Cup final against Borussia Dortmund. Despite his presence, the Belo Horizonte side lost the match 2–0. Bebeto found his goalscoring form again at native clubs Vitória in late 1997 and Botafogo in early 1998, performances that earned him a spot for Brazil's World Cup defense in 1998. His return to Flamengo in 1996 was a homecoming for the player who had previously won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A with them in 1983 and 1987.

In Their Own Story

During the 1994 World Cup, Bebeto formed a formidable partnership with Romário after putting their personal differences aside. They were fierce rivals in the Spanish League; Bebeto led La Liga with 29 goals in the 1992–93 season while Romário led it with 30 goals in 1993–94. Romário had given Bebeto the nickname 'Chorao' (Crybaby) for his habit of pouting to referees and once called a news conference stating he would not sit next to Bebeto on the flight to the United States. However, by 2018, they were friends who talked often. In an interview that year, Bebeto praised their partnership: 'I played with Romario only in the national team... Do you know that Brazil have never lost a game when Bebeto and Romario played together? Not a single game! Besides, every time we played together at least one of us scored.'

Reader's Guide

Bebeto was renowned for his consistency and determination, though he was also injury-prone. Despite lacking height and having a slender physique, he was fast and opportunistic, using agility and intelligence to lose markers in tight spaces. Early in his career, his vision and technical skills led him to be employed as a playmaking attacking midfielder or supporting striker, drawing influence from Zico's style. Later, he excelled as a center-forward due to his eye for goal. He won Olympic silver with Brazil at the 1988 Summer Olympics and bronze in 1996, scoring a hat-trick in the Bronze medal match against Portugal. In 1989, he was named South American Footballer of the Year.

Did You Know?

• Bebeto's famous 'rocking baby' goal celebration in the 1994 World Cup was performed after his wife delivered their third child, Mattheus, two days before a quarter-final match against the Netherlands.
• In 2001, Scottish side St Mirren rejected Bebeto because they had reservations about his fitness, even though they were willing to pay his wages.
• Bebeto's brother-in-law, Luiz Fernando Petra, was murdered in 2002 during a federal deputy election in Rio de Janeiro.