KEY POINTS:
He doesn't run much. Never has. Never will. He's also a renowned party animal who's about to turn 41.
But Brazilian striker Romario certainly knows where the back of the net is and a quest to find it another 14 times before he hangs up his boots has
brought him to the A-League.
The 1994 World Cup winner and World Player of the Year has joined Adelaide United for four games in a self-serving attempt to join Pele in the 1000 goals club.
It's not going to alter the way Knights defender Che Bunce plays the game, given he will be charged with trying to keep one of the game's greats quiet next weekend.
"He's a legend but it won't make any difference to me," said Bunce. "I'm certainly not going to give him any respect and if there's a chance to whack him, then I will whack him."
Adelaide has forked out $315,000 for the privilege of being used by Romario, meaning he's earning as much in one game as some of his team-mates earn in a season.
But it's not all one-way traffic. All four of Romario's games are being beamed live into Brazil, the international media's curiosity in the story has Adelaide's 'brand' being talked about around the world, sponsors have approached the club recently rather than the other way round and a crowd of 15,694 crammed Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night (its capacity is listed at 15,000).
Although it reeks of commercialism, Romario is still a gifted player.
He was top scorer in last season's Brazilian championship and also found the back of the net regularly during a recent stint with Miami FC.
His Adelaide debut last week in their 2-0 loss to Central Coast was less than inspiring, and on Friday night, he was kept scoreless again in Adelaide's 3-1 defeat to Melbourne.
He might rate his chances of adding to his tally next weekend, however, when a Knights side which has conceded 32 goals in 14 games heads to Adelaide.
If Romario does score 1000 goals, it will be a big deal. He returns to Vasco da Gama, the club he debuted for in 1985, who have effectively bought the rights to Romario's party. When Pele achieved the feat in 1969 in Rio, the match was stopped for 20 minutes after a pitch invasion.
Romario
Age: 40
Debut: 1985 (Vasco da Gama)
Clubs: Vasco da Gama (3x), PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Flamengo (2x), Valencia, Fluminense (2x), Al Sadd, Miami FC, Adelaide.
Goals scored: 986
International record: 70 goals in 85 games for Brazil (1987-2005)
Romario won the World Player of the Year award in 1994, the same year he was a member of the World Cup-winning Brazil team. He was also named one of the top 125 greatest living footballers during Fifa's 100th anniversary celebration in 2004.
