Word: malandros
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Dates: during 2007-2007
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...colorful pantheon of Rio de Janeiro stereotypes, none is more beloved than the malandro. Brazilians like to believe that many of their Portuguese words defy direct translation, and in this case they are right. A malandro is, for want of a more succinct description, a hustler who survives by his wits and savvy, often fooling those richer or more powerful than himself, and usually skirting the law. He is a bohemian, a joker and a smartass. The word has been cropping up all over the sports pages of the local and international media in recent weeks, thanks to the efforts...
...Romario's quest for the symbolic 1,000th goal has been a lesson in malandragem, as the way of the malandro is known. There is no question he was the greatest goal scorer of his generation, a "creative, straightforward, genius, goal-scoring superstar," in the words of top sports columnist and former Pele World Cup-winning teammate Tostao. Wherever he played, he scored: at home in Brazil, with top European clubs such as Barcelona, and on the international stage, where his genius was crucial to his country's 1994 World Cup victory...
...prime, during the early 1990s, Romario was quick, slippery and deadly. He could make an inch of space seem like a mile, and he worked angles like Pythagoras. But, in true malandro spirit, the creativity he showed in and around the penalty box may have also been at work in his math when it came to counting goals. The Vasco da Gama striker has padded his tally with goals scored in youth matches, amateur games and friendlies (although there's no reason to believe reports that his 999 goals include those scored on his Playstation...
...turn out to see him search for that elusive Gol Mil. Expect an epic celebration when he does; if there is one thing Romario does even better than score goals, it's party - and this party town will be happy to provide the platform. After all, everyone loves a malandro...