For many top footballers, both Dutch and foreign, PSV’s international reputation is still inextricably linked to the years when Romário de Souza Faria played there. Following in his footsteps, Ronaldo, Van Nistelrooij, and Kezman discovered that the club could be an ideal stepping stone to a great career in a major footballing nation. For that reason alone, Romário’s arrival was of great importance to PSV.
He arrived in Eindhoven for the first time on October 13, 1988. The night before, Romário had played with Brazil in an international match against Belgium, after which assistant coach Hans Dorjee brought the new signing from Brussels. PSV announced that Romário had cost $3.7 million, that he was 168 centimeters tall, and that he could look forward to four return flights between Amsterdam and Rio per year. However, Romário had to quickly return home before his debut to marry Monica Santoro de Carvalho. The two promised each other eternal fidelity on the center spot of the stadium of his youth club, Olaria.
Although he already has nineteen international caps to his name and was Vasco da Gama’s top scorer in the state of Rio de Janeiro for two years in a row, the Brazilian has only been known to the general public internationally for a few weeks. During the Olympic Games in Seoul, he was the top scorer and helped Brazil reach the final. Nevertheless, there is some skepticism at PSV. Hans van Breukelen says before the first training session: “First see, then believe.”
Romário is amazed by PSV. To him, the Philips Stadium is “like a five-star hotel.” Teammate Frank Arnesen looks after him during those first few months. The transition is enormous. Romário comes from a poor neighborhood in Rio (Vila de Pena), where his father runs a paint shop. His childhood was one without poverty and without luxury. At Olaria, he scored all the goals (4-0) in a practice match against the great Vasco, which paved the way to national fame. In 1985, Romário joined Vasco’s first team. He earned about fifty guilders a month.
Romário made his debut for PSV on October 29. After 56 minutes, he came on as a substitute for Juul Ellerman against FC Twente. The Brazilian quickly emerged as a mysterious star. He sometimes seemed to sleepwalk for minutes on end, only to turn the game around with one or more goals out of nowhere. Romário is the king of the penalty area – technically perfect and blessed with an unparalleled sense for goals. A week after his debut, he decides the away game against Roda JC (0-1), and another week later he scores his first hat trick at home against RKC. From that moment on, he will maintain an average of one goal per game at PSV for years to come.
On Monday, July 10, 1989, Romário is absent from the first training session of the new season. This goes against all agreements, but because of the Copa América tournament, he prefers to start in September. He becomes the big star of the South American championship. In the final against Uruguay, Romário scores the goal that wins Brazil the title.
It was not until September 10 that he made his first appearance in PSV’s starting lineup. The opponent was Ajax. The score that day was 2-0, with both goals coming from Romário. Everyone was speechless. That same season, serious problems arose between Romário and the other PSV players. The small Brazilian had little contact with the others and would just wander into the dressing room. Some called his position “untenable.” Wim Kieft noted a technical problem: “Romário has no value for PSV. You have to look at the performance of the whole team.” Romário, in turn, felt that his teammates ignored him during matches.
With Romário, spectacle is guaranteed, but the magical moments are becoming increasingly rare. PSV is often a team that is unable to put much pressure on its opponents, creating too much space between the lines and causing the team to suffer. The question arises as to whether an entire team should sacrifice itself for that one star player.
Romário continues to behave like a rebellious world star. He fails to show up at the press presentation in July 1991, causing anger once again. “We are sick and tired of this,” says chairman Ruts. Manager Ploegsma once again expresses his support. “The title is mainly thanks to Romário. He is the best soccer player in the Netherlands. Others should show him a little more appreciation.”
The new season is again dramatic for the Brazilian. In the first half of the competition, he only plays twice due to a new injury. At the end of March 1992, he decides the top match against Feyenoord (2-1), keeping PSV out of the reach of the competition once again. However, the title is not his. Romário has been injured too often. This was also the case during the championship match against Groningen. Five minutes before the end of that match, he jumps into his Mercedes to drive back to Eindhoven. He is not celebrating.
After the summer, Romário’s new coach Hans Westerhof is given the benefit of the doubt. He arrives punctually for the first training session. However, the enthusiasm quickly dissipates. During a tournament in Cádiz, Romário is substituted. PSV then loses the match against Real Madrid, missing out on the final against São Paulo – a match that is broadcast live on television in Brazil. Romário is furious about the substitution. He disappears for 24 hours and is suspended by PSV for a week. “I’m leaving, my departure is certain!” Romário exclaims. “Westerhof doesn’t understand me, and when you work with a coach who doesn’t understand you, you always run into problems. That was already the case with Robson.”
The calls for Romário intensify when PSV loses 1-0 to AEK Athens in the second round of the European Cup tournament. Westerhof has left the Brazilian out of the team. Romário is furious. In the home game, Romário responds without saying a word. He scores three goals, giving PSV a comfortable 3-0 win over the Greeks. This performance is also unique for Romário. In many important European Cup games, his return is minimal. Between November 1989 and September 1992, he did not score a single goal. Kieft now stands up for him: “That boy doesn’t get enough balls. Maybe we lack the qualities to put him in position. There is much more to be gained from Romário than PSV is currently getting.”
At the end of the season, Romário antagonizes everyone again. He fails to show up for the important match against Dordrecht ’90, this time due to “his wife’s pregnancy problems,” as it is called. “It’s sad,” concludes Ploegsma. “All kinds of tricks are being devised to force him to leave.”
A few weeks later, Romário says: ‘If PSV strengthens its team with two players, there is no reason for me to leave. I think we need a good midfielder and a top defender. But sometimes I also think that five years at PSV has been enough. During that period, the club has not become stronger. Everything has remained pretty much the same. That’s not possible if you have ambitions.’
In the summer of 1993, Romário was sold to FC Barcelona for twelve million guilders. “It’s clear that despite his tremendous technical qualities, Romário no longer fit in at PSV,” concluded chairman Jacques Ruts.
The bottom line? Fantastic matches, fantastic goals, and an always intriguing character who kept Eindhoven buzzing every day. But also: no international achievements and no sporting development. The verdict on a mercurial star like Romário will never be unanimous.
In total, Romário played 109 matches for PSV between 1988 and 1993, scoring 98 goals.