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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Sparky-moon on 2026-04-09 12:26:02+00:00.
Original Title: Romário: “Technically, Brazil has really fallen off. Since the generation of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo, things have been tough. Then we became dependent on a single player: Neymar. And our youngsters leave for Europe too early, joining small clubs where they lose their DNA.”
“Technically, Brazil has really fallen off. Since the generation of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Rivaldo, things have been tough. Then we became dependent on a single player: Neymar. And our youngsters leave for Europe too early, joining small clubs where they lose their DNA.” he notes, acknowledging a “diminishing enthusiasm” among Brazilians for their national team.
“Brazil can be champions, thanks to their history, their experience, and if Neymar gets back into form.”
The Ballon d’Or: An Eternal Regret
When he looks back on that fabulous season, Romario has one regret: not winning the Ballon d’Or. The blame lies with the rules, which didn’t include non-European players until the following year, in 1995 (when Liberian George Weah won). So it was his Barcelona teammate, the Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov, who beat out the Italians Roberto Baggio and Paolo Maldini.
“I don’t know if I would have easily won the 1994 Ballon d’Or. But I would have been a very serious contender. Hristo teased me back then. He deserved it, too. He was one of my best teammates and will remain a lifelong friend. The truth is, I was gutted not to have won that Ballon d’Or. Since he was the one who won it, my anger wasn’t as intense.”