With 39 goals in 75 appearances for Brazil, Bebeto is thesixth highest goalscorer for his national team. He was the top scorer for Brazil at the1989 Copa América when they won the tournament. At the1994 FIFA World Cup, he formed a formidable strike partnership withRomário to lead Brazil to a record fourth World Cup title. He was also a member of the Brazilian team that won the1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, while he won Olympic silver and bronze medals with Brazil at the1988 and1996 Summer Olympic Games respectively. In 1989, Bebeto was namedSouth American Footballer of the Year.
Bebeto spent four years in Spain at Deportivo La Coruña, scoring an impressive 86 goals in 131 games. Bebeto became the top scorer in La Liga in his first season at Deportivo, scoring 29 goals in the 1992–93 season. In the next season, 1993–94 season, Deportivo had the chance to win their first everLa Liga title by beatingValencia in the last match of the season. In a very evenly matched contest Deportivo had a golden opportunity to seal the victory and thus the league title. They were given a penalty kick just minutes from the end. The official penalty taker all season had been Bebeto (afterDonato, who wasn't in the field), who this time, refused to take the penalty. Eventually,Miroslav Đukić took the penalty and failed to score; hence, the match ended with a 0–0 draw, effectively handingBarcelona the title.
In 1996 Bebeto returned to play for native club Flamengo, but after just 15 games, Bebeto returned to Spain to play forSevilla, for whom he never scored. In 1997, Bebeto joinedCruzeiro for just one match, the1997 Intercontinental Cup final againstBorussia Dortmund. Despite his presence, theBelo Horizonte side lost the match 2–0. Bebeto returned to goalscoring form at native clubs Vitória in late 1997 andBotafogo in early 1998, which saw him being picked for Brazil's World Cup defence in 1998.
In 2001, he was rejected byScottish sideSt Mirren, who were willing to pay his wages but had reservations about his fitness.[1] On 5 September 2002, he joined his final club at the age of 38,Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, after pledging to join Vasco da Gama on 28 August.[2]
For Brazil, Bebeto scored 39 goals in 75 caps after making his debut in 1985. He played in threeWorld Cups:1990,1994, and1998. In 1994, he was one of the best players of the tournament, scoring three goals and providing two assists for the eventual champions,[3][4] and then repeated the feat four years later as Brazil finished second to hosts France.[5][6]
During the 1994 World Cup, Bebeto formed a formidable partnership withRomário, after they succeeded in putting their personal differences aside. Bebeto and Romário were fierce rivals in the Spanish League. Bebeto led the Spanish first division with 29 goals in 1992–93 and Romário led it with 30 goals in 1993–94. It was Romário who gave Bebeto the nickname Chorao, or Crybaby, for his habit of pouting to referees. It was also Romário who called a news conference before the World Cup to announce that he would not sit next to Bebeto on the team's flight to the United States.[7][8] Today, however, Bebeto and Romario are friends, with Bebeto claiming that they talk often. In an interview in 2018, Bebeto praised his partnership with Romario: "I played with Romario only in the national team. We played only one game together at Flamengo before he left for Europe. 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."[9]
Bebeto became a household name for hisgoal celebration in the 1994 World Cup in the United States. His wife had delivered their third child two days before a quarter-final match againstthe Netherlands in the scorching heat ofDallas. After scoring, Bebeto ran to the sideline, brought his arms together and began rocking an imaginary baby.[10] Teammates Romário andMazinho quickly joined in.[10] That child, a boy who was namedMattheus, started his football career with the youth side of Brazilian clubFlamengo.[11]
On 8 December 2012 a friendly match was played by Brazil Masters vs IFA All Stars atSalt Lake Stadium,Kolkata, India. Bebeto scored a goal for Brazil Masters as they defeated All Stars by 3–1.[12]
Regarded one of Brazil's greatest strikers, Bebeto was a prolific goalscorer and an excellent finisher, who was known for his consistency and determination throughout his career, although he was also injury-prone and was criticised for his character. Despite not being imposing physically due to his lack of height and slender physique, he was a fast and opportunistic player, who used his agility, offensive movement, and intelligence to lose his markers in tight spaces. Due to his vision, outstanding technical skills, close control on the ball, and his ability to play off other strikers and provide them withassists, he was often employed as aplaymakingattacking midfielder or as asupporting striker early on in his career, drawing influence fromZico's playing style. He was later deployed as astriker or as acentre-forward, however, where he excelled, due to his eye for goal, and remained in this position for the rest of his career.[13][14][15]
Bebeto was hired on 16 December 2009 as theAmérica Football Club's head coach. After an average performance at theTaça Guanabara, he was sacked on 13 February 2010. He had a record of three wins, one draw and four losses.
Bebeto is married to Denise Oliveira, who played volleyball for Flamengo in 1988, with whom he has two sons and one daughter,[16] Stéphannie who is married toCarlos Eduardo.[17] His son,Mattheus, is a professional footballer.[18] Bebeto's brother-in-law, Luiz Fernando Petra, was murdered in 2002, during a federal deputy election in Rio de Janeiro.[19]
.jpg)
