RIO DE JANEIRO, March 20 (Reuters) - Former Brazil striker
Romario, on the verge of scoring what he claims will be the 1,000th
goal of his career, said on Tuesday that his total included goals
scored in non-professional matches.
"I've never hidden this," said Romario, who took his tally to 998
with a hat-trick in Vasco da Gama's 6-2 win over Boavista on
Saturday.
"I never said that all those goals were scored in competitive or
professional games. I'm also aware that some of the goals were
scored in festive games," the 41-year-old told reporters in
Brasilia where his side play a Copa Brasil tie on Wednesday.
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"But I've scored them and I can prove it," he added.
"These numbers are not mine, I never had the time to count them
myself. The counting was done by professionals. If I'd counted them
myself, there would be around 3,000."
The Brazilian media have long questioned Romario's total, which is
published on Vasco's official Web site. The tally includes 77 goals
scored at youth level and numerous others from testimonial games
and club friendlies.
Romario has said his dream would be to score the 1,000th goal on
Sunday, when Vasco face arch-rivals Flamengo at the Maracana
stadium in Rio de Janeiro, his favourite stage.
