Romario-Campos Retirement Match

[beachesl]

Romario rolls back the years for swansong (Brazil-Mexico 2-1)

11 November 2004

by AFP

LOS ANGELES, Nov 11 (AFP) - Once sworn enemies on the pitch, Brazil's Romario De Souza and Mexico's Jorge Campos shared an emotional embrace at the end of an exhibition game played Wednesday in Los Angeles to mark the two greats' retirement from international football.

The legendary Brazilian, flanked by his team-mates from the FIFA World Cup-winning side of 1994, showed glimpses of the old magic by scoring two wonderful goals in his team's 2-1 win against the Mexican side from that same tournament.

"It was a great occasion, very moving, and it brought back a few memories," said Romario afterwards to the emotional crowd at the Memorial Coliseum Stadium in the city where he enjoyed his finest hour in 1994.

The Brazilian side featured the legendary figures of Taffarel, Jorginho, Mauro da Silva, Ricardo Rocha, Branco, Zinho, Aldair, Dunga, Bebeto, Romario, and Marcio Santos with Carlos Alberto Parreira directing proceedings as he did in 1994, when he led the Auriverde to their fourth world title.

Mexico also gave their supporters a trip down memory lane by bringing together Jorge Campos, Raúl Gutiérrez, Ramírez Perales, José Luis Salgado, Ignacio Ambriz, Ramón Ramírez, Marcelino Bernal, Alberto García Aspe, Joaquín del Olmo, Luis Hernández and Luis García.

Back at the helm was Miguel Mejía Barón, who led the Aztecs to the knockout stages of the 1994 FIFA World Cup™ in the USA. It was his side who opened the scoring on the night, when Luis Roverto Alves turned back the clock and found his old touch was still there.

"Obviously, we're not in our prime anymore, but I enjoyed it all the same as it was a farewell tribute to my dear friend Jorge, and also to the legend that is Romario," said Alves.

Brazil came close to equalising in the first half when the much-loved Bebeto sent an overhead kick just over the Mexican crossbar.

In the second half, Romario rediscovered his touch and conjured up the two goals that left the legacy of the great 1994 side intact.

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Finally, I'm stopping my search for the ugliest soccer jerseys in creation! Mexico only posed for the photo in these (?), they played in their nifty 1994 Aztec calendar jerseys.

[Daniel]

The wild jerseys are an hommage to Campos, who made his rep sporting coloured, extravagant kits.

As for the Mexico jerseys, I believe those are the 1998 ones.