THE TINY BRAZILIAN ICON
Bebeto was a player who was well known for his colorful personality and his soccer talent both. Many soccer lovers and critics refer to him as one of the greatest players to grace the world in a long long time. He along with fellow player Romario – another Brazilian – are referred to as the deadliest and most prolific duos of all time. He is considered to be one of the greatest Brazilian soccer players of all time and one of the best in the world during the 1990’s. Even now he is referred to as one of the best in the game. Currently Bebeto leads the Democratic Labour Party in Brazil and his son Mattheus is also a professional soccer player. He is the hero who brought home the 1994 FIFA World Cup winning his stunning soccer skills. Even today his goal scoring celebrations are used by other players as a salute to this legend.
EARLY LIFE
Born as Jose Roberto Gama de Oliviera in 1964 in Salvador Brazil. Due to his extensive long name he was nick named Bebeto. Bebeto first entered the realm of soccer when he was 19 after moving to Rio de . Despite his skinny appearance and short height Bebeto overcome these physical shortcomings to fulfill his soccer dreams. He joined Flamengo and went on to win the Brazilian championship with Flamngo the year he joined. What followed nest was playing for many local teams including Vasca da Gama, Dep la Caruna and Sevilla FC. It was on his home turf where Bebeto became an icon, leading his teams to win the Brazilian League in 1989 and was the Top Scorer in 1992. Not only was Bebeto a good goal scorer but also a superb good team player. During his home years he continuous won many accolades including the Best Player of the Year in both the Copa America in 1898 and the South American continent the same year.
CAREER
Bebeto’s name will forever be associated with Brazil’s legendary 1994 World Cup win. In total he capped 39 goals in 75 appearances for Brazil. He remains, to this day, the sixth highest goal scorer in Brazil’s history. He was Brazil’s Top Scorer in 1989 Copa America. During the FIFA World Cup he formed a formidable partnership with Romario which also lead them to win the World Cup. He was also part of Brazil’s team which won the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup. He has also won the Olympic silver and bronze medals for Brazil in the 1988 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games. In all of Brazil’s key win’s Bebeto always played a monumental role, which is why he is considered a legend in his home nation.
AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTS
In 1989 Bebeto was named the South American Footballer of the Year. In 2013 and 2014, Bebeto was named as one of the six Ambassadors of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Bebeto has also been included in the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame.