Former footballer Romario Faria de Souza eager to score as Rio governor

Former Brazil footballer and Rio's governor candidate for the Podemos Party, Romario

Rio de Janeiro: Twenty-four years after parading through Brazilian streets while lifting the World Cup trophy, Romario is again dancing in the back of pickup trucks. This time, he's campaigning to become Rio de Janeiro's next governor.

Evoking his soccer past on the campaign trail is only natural for one of the best players in a country where the sport is king.

Romario Faria de Souza has ridden his wave of stardom into a career as a lawmaker, winning one term as congressman and another as senator. Now he eyes a much bigger challenge: running a state mired in crisis. Romario, 52, joined a new centrist party called "We can" (Podemos in Portuguese).

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