On this gray, rainy day in Rio de Janeiro, a football legend passes away. Carlos Roberto "Dinamite" de Oliveira, a legend of Brazilian football in
the 1970's and 1980's, succumbed today to a cancer, at age 68.
Roberto was Vasco's historical top goalscorer, with 708 goals in 1110 games, on a career that spanned from 1971 to 1992, with some brief interruptions to play for Barcelona (three months in 1980, 3 goals in 8 games), Portuguesa (three months in 1989, 9 goals in 17 games) and Campo Grande (five months in 1991, 14 games). He is one of the only three players to play over 1000 games for a single Brazilian club, the others being Pelé (Santos) and Rogerio Ceni (São Paulo).
He is also the Brazilian league's historical top goalscorer, with 190 goals, as well as the Carioca league's too, with 279. Some further records of his
are that being the top goalscorer of São Januário stadium, with 184 goals, and of Vasco's three derbies: against Flamengo (27 goals, vs Zico's 19), Fluminense (36 goals, vs Waldo's 12) and Botafogo (25 goals, vs Quarentinha's 17).
He doesn't hold the Maracanã's top goalscoring record (that one is Zico's), but he did score the stadium's most beautiful goal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoVtkALAM3Y
He earned the "Dinamite" nickname very early in his career. His debut for Vasco was in the Brazilian championship of 1971. After losses away to Bahia (1-0) and Atlético Mineiro (2-1), he made his debut at Maracanã against Internacional, scoring the second goal of a 2-0 win. The next day headlines: "Dynamite kid explodes Maracanã".
His return from the brief stint at Barcelona was spectacular too. Flamengo tried to sign him, but Vasco moved faster and secured his return. His first game upon returning was on an away 0-1 win over Náutico, but it was on the very next round, at home, that Dinamite would explode most spectacularly.
It was a double header at Maracanã, Flamengo vs Bangu first and then Vasco
vs Corinthians. Flamengo fans, bitter that he chose Vasco over them, stayed
in Maracanã after their game to join the corintianos. What they witnessed, instead, was this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjZ5luU6dfk
Though Caçapava scored first for the paulistas, Roberto had already netted four before Sócrates scored Corinthians's second goal from a penalty. 4-2
at half-time, plus another one in the second half, again by Roberto. That's
a return home in style, if you ask me.
For the Brazilian national team it was 20 goals in 38 games. He didn't win anything other than a couple of friendly cups in 1976, but he did score a crucial goal in the 1978 World Cup against Austria, thus sparing Brasil from
a first round exit in that tournament. Also present in 1982, he didn't even sit on the subs bench in Spain, as Telê, bizarrely enough, preferred to field Serginho upfront with Zico, Socrates and Eder. Go figure...
Roberto and Zico were rivals on the field, each being #10 of Vasco da Gama
and Flamengo respectively, but did share a long standing friendship and a lot of mutual respect for each other. It was in the name of this friendship that Zico came from Japan to play with Vasco's #9 jersey on Roberto's farewell match in 1993, against Deportivo La Coruña, who had just purchased Bebeto, another player with a long history in both sides of the Classico dos Milhões.
They also share an unbeaten partnership for the Brazilian national team. Brasil never lost any of the 22 games played with both on the field, with a record of 17 wins and 5 draws, 56 goals scored (16 by Zico, 14 by Roberto) and 7 conceded.
There were a further four games against clubs and regional selections: 3 wins for Brasil, 1 draw, 13 goals scored (4 by Roberto and 3 by Zico), 3 conceded.
Lastly, Vasco's official address is General Almerio de Moura Street, 131. The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, has just announced in his Twitter account
that he'll give Roberto's name to the part of the street in front of the club. They could go all the way and change the number too. Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, address Roberto Dinamite Street, 10. That sounds very right to me.
May he rest in peace.
Best regards,
Lléo
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