Romarinho’s Bombonera heroics: a Corinthians legend remembered

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Central do Timão

·29 de dezembro de 2025

Romarinho’s Bombonera heroics: a Corinthians legend remembered

By the Central do Timão Editorial Team

Romarinho did not have a long stint at Corinthians and played for only two years wearing the black and white jersey, but he did enough to earn a special place in the hearts of Corinthians fans. The forward took part in campaigns for historic titles such as the 2012 Libertadores and Club World Cup, scored an unforgettable goal against Boca Juniors at La Bombonera, and was also a tormentor of archrival Palmeiras.

In this article, Central do Timão recalls Romário Ricardo da Silva’s, or Romarinho’s, time at Corinthians and tells how the striker is doing now, 11 years after saying goodbye to the club.

Vídeos OneFootball

during the match between Corinthians/SP and Palmeiras/SP, held this afternoon at Estádio do Pacaembu, valid for the 6th round of the 2012 Brazilian Championship. São Paulo/Brazil – 06/24/2012. Photo: © Daniel Augusto Jr. / Ag. Corinthians

Arrival

Romarinho arrived at Corinthians very young, just 21 years old, in May 2012. The striker stood out after being named the revelation of that year’s Paulistão with Bragantino, scoring six goals in the competition. Timão beat out Santos, who had priority in the deal, and signed the player.

“Every player dreams of playing for Corinthians, a team with a wonderful fan base. Because of my playing style, I play more on the wings, like Jorge Henrique”, said Romarinho to SporTV in May 2012, confirming the deal with Timão.

The contract signed with Corinthians was for four seasons, and his debut came days later, on June 10, 2012, against Grêmio in the Brasileirão.

First Derby

Two weeks after his debut, on June 24, Romarinho was already starting to win a special place in the hearts of the Fiel by being the hero with two goals in a comeback win over Palmeiras. The first goal? A backheel, after a pass from Liédson. The second? A shot from the edge of the box that nearly found the top corner. It was the beginning of a nightmare story for the archrival in matches against the striker.

Unforgettable goal at La Bombonera

The stellar performance against Palmeiras convinced coach Tite that Romarinho was the right name to be included for the first leg of the 2012 Libertadores final, on June 27, just three days after the Derby. The striker had never played a single match in the continental competition in his career.

Romarinho celebrates his goal in the 2012 Libertadores final. Photo: Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images.

Even so, Romarinho did not feel the pressure in one of the world’s most legendary stadiums, playing in one of the biggest games in Corinthians’ history. Timão fell behind at La Bombonera, but in the 39th minute of the second half, the striker’s first touch of the ball in the Libertadores resulted in a chipped goal that secured a draw in Buenos Aires. A moment immortalized by Cleber Machado’s call: “Look at Romarinhoooo”.

The result gave Corinthians peace of mind to win the second leg of the final at Pacaembu a week later and claim their first-ever Libertadores title.

Other Derbies

As if the stellar performance in his first Derby wasn’t enough, Romarinho built an enviable record against Palmeiras. He never lost to Corinthians’ archrival. There were five matches, with five goals scored, three wins, and two draws. He is the black and white’s top scorer this century in matches against the green team.

Other titles

Romarinho also won three other titles with Corinthians. The striker was part of the squads that won the 2012 Club World Cup, the 2013 Paulistão, and the 2013 Recopa Sudamericana.

End of his stint and overall numbers at Corinthians

The player played his last game for Corinthians in September 2014, against Red Bull Bragantino, in that year’s Copa do Brasil. Romarinho was sold to Al-Jaish, in Qatar, for 8 million euros (R$ 23.4 million at the time). He said goodbye after playing 141 games in the black and white jersey, scoring 25 goals (20% of them against Palmeiras), and winning four titles: Libertadores, Club World Cup, Paulistão, and Recopa.

After Corinthians

Romarinho was so successful in the Arab world that he’s still there today. The striker played for Al-Jaish until 2017 and, after scoring 61 goals in 101 games, signed with Al-Jazira, from the United Arab Emirates. He played just 42 matches for the club, scoring 17 goals, the most notable of which was against Real Madrid of Spain, in a defeat at the 2017 Club World Cup.

Next, Romarinho signed with Al-Ittihad, in Saudi Arabia, where he played from 2018 to mid-2024 and became a club idol, playing 213 games and scoring 93 goals. Despite having left the team, the player stayed in the country, moving to Neom SC, in the second division. In the second half of 2025, the athlete also played for Vitória in the Série A of the Brasileirão, and is currently without a club.

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