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[Awards Review]
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▶ Three and a Half Men
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[2025/02/16 ]
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Bebeto's first son was born on the eve of Brazil's quarter-final with the Netherlands at USA 1994. He paid homage to Mattheus in unforgettable fashion.
The boss told his men to take the afternoon off and chill. They had a big job in two days’ time, and he wanted them to relax. Leonardo sunk into his bunk and read a book. Dunga, Jorginho, Romario, Ronaldao and Taffarel lazed in the hotel pool. Branco, Cafu, Gilmar, Muller, Rai and Zetti played cards. Mazinho and Zinho went for a stroll around the hotel grounds. Paulo Sergio, Viola and excitable 17-year-old Ronaldo played pool.
 They were doing exactly as the doctor ordered to prepare for a 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™ quarter-final against the Netherlands… all except a man whose heart was beating uncontrollably.
Bebeto had been frantically trying to get through to his wife, who was heavily pregnant. Unbeknownst to him, Denise had gone into labour. A couple of hours later, the Brazil forward finally got the call of relief. Mattheus had been born. Mother and son were both ok.
It was only temporary tranquillity. An hour later, Globo, the television network behemoths, rang the volley specialist’s room and summoned him downstairs. When he got there, he was ushered in to a chair in front of a screen. Bebeto burst into tears as he looked at his wife and newborn.
“It was extremely emotional,” Bebeto told FIFA. “I’m emotional now talking about it. I wanted to hold him in my arms, but it was a lovely surprise. At that moment, I pleaded with God to allow me to score a goal against Holland in homage to my son.”
In the 64th minute of a pulsating clash at the Cotton Bowl, with Carlos Alberto Parreira’s side 1-0 up, he got the chance for which he had prayed.
“I remember Branco heading it forward,” he recalled. “Romario was offside. I looked at their last man and thought, ‘I’m not offside.’ I was off with everything I had. I rounded [Ed] De Goey and scored. It was a dream.”
Bebeto intuitively ran off cradling an imaginary baby in homage to Mattheus. Mazinho and Romario joined him – one to his right, the other to his left – to make for one of the most iconic celebrations in football history.
“It was totally spontaneous,” insisted Bebeto. “I began doing the baby-cradle gesture. I looked right and Mazinho was doing it. I looked left and Romario was doing it. It was so beautiful. It was a simple gesture, but with all my love and affection.
“I scored a lot of goals in my career – wonder goals, goals that won titles – but everyone only remembers the Mattheus goal (laughs). It doesn’t matter where I go in the world, everyone wants to talk to me about that celebration. I still get emotional talking about it. It means so much to me, my family.”
Eight days later, 2,300 kilometres west in Pasadena, Brazil were creating more iconic commemoration clips, with Taffarel dropping to his knees and raising his arms into the California air as Roberto Baggio’s skied penalty handed the Seleção a fourth star, and Parreira’s soldiers then parading a tribute to the late, great Ayrton Senna around the Rose Bowl.
Arguably the daddy of all World Cup celebrations, however, belonged to a father and his son in Dallas. If Two and a Half Men was filmed in California, Three and a Half Men was filmed in Texas.
- The origianl text resource is from FIFA Official Website |
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