Who is Roberto Dinamite, and how good was he? Bio and career life

Who is Roberto Dinamite, and how good was he? Bio and career life

Kenneth Mwenda
June 2, 2024 at 4:04 PM
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Brazil
Brazil
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Vasco da Gama
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Roberto Dinamite is esteemed as one of Vasco da Gama and Brazilian football's all-time best players. Roberto, also known as Bobby Dynamite, is the sole outfielder to have played over 1,000 matches for a single club.

 Roberto Dinamite of Brazil during a game against Italy
Frame 1: Roberto Dinamite of Brazil during a game against Italy on 24th June 1978. Frame 2: Roberto in March 2022. Photos: Paul Popper, @rdinamite10 (modified by author)
Source: Original

Table of Сontents:

In his first appearance for Vasco da Gama in 1971 at 17 years old, it was the very year that football in Brazil finally unfolded a real national championship. Twenty years later, when he retired, he scored more goals than anyone else ever has or will do in that competition. Details about this article have been sourced from factual publications.

Profile summary

Full name

Carlos Roberto de Oliveira

Nickname

Roberto Dinamite

Date of birth

13 April 1954

Place of birth

Duque de Caxias, Brazil

Position

Forward

Clubs played for

Vasco da Gama, FC Barcelona, Portuguesa, Campo Grande

Total career goals

698 goals (Vasco da Gama's all-time leading scorer)

International career

25 goals in 47 appearances for the Brazilian national team

Trophies

5 Campeonato Carioca, 1 Brazilian Championship

Political career

State Assembly of Rio de Janeiro, PMDB and PSDB parties

Spouse

Liliane

Children

4

Date of death

8 January 2023

Who is Roberto Dinamite?

He was a Brazilian footballer and politician. Roberto had a two-decade-long centre-forward career; he has made the most appearances for Vasco da Gama and is their all-time leading goal scorer. He is also the highest scorer in Brazil's Serie A and the Rio de Janeiro State Championship on aggregate.

Roberto Dinamite's age

He was born on 13 April 1954 in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro state, and had his journey to football stardom at an early age. Growing up in a country where everyone loves football, it was only natural that he became interested in this game and showed outstanding skills while playing it.

His talent did not go unnoticed when he made some early notable performances, which attracted Vasco da Gama's attention.

Roberto Dinamite's biography

Facts about Roberto Dinamite
Roberto Dinamite in Maracana Stadium on 10 November 2021. Photo: @Maracana (modified by author)
Source: Original

In 1971, at just 17 years old, Roberto Dinamite started his professional career with Vasco da Gama. He gained his nickname "Dinamite" because of his aggressive style of play and ability to score many goals.

Roberto earned his nickname from journalist Aparício Pires of the Jornal dos Sports newspaper after scoring a stunning goal in his debut professional match on November 25, 1971. The journalist described the event as the "Dynamite-Boy exploding in Maracanã."

In his first season, he scored an impressive number of goals, laying the groundwork for a career. During this period, the club won the 1974 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and the 1977 Campeonato Carioca.

When did he join Barcelona?

The star then joined Barcelona in 1979, a move which would be short-lived, as he only managed 3 goals there. This led him back to his former club, where he added four more Campeonato Carioca titles (1982, 1987, 1988, 1992)

In the 1989-1990 season, he played for Portuguesa, a team based in São Paulo. There, he scored a total of 11 goals. His last goal came on October 26, 1992, during the Campeonato Carioca, where Vasco da Gama defeated Goytacaz 2-0 at São Januário Stadium.

At 39, Dinamite retired from professional football on 24 March 1993 after Vasco da Gama lost 2-0 to Deportivo La Coruna from Spain in Maracanã Stadium. This friendly match also involved Zico, who played for Vasco da Gama at that time.

Roberto Dinamite's international career stats

Patrice Rio of France and Roberto Dinamite of Brazil
Patrice Rio of France (L) and Roberto Dinamite of Brazil during the International Friendly match at Estadio do Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 30th, 1977. Photo: Michel Piquemal 
Source: Getty Images

Between September 1975 and June 1984, Roberto Dinamite earned 47 caps for the Brazil national team, scoring 25 goals. He played 38 matches against national squads (20 of them official FIFA tournaments), netting 20 times; in the other 9 games with combined team or club opposition, he scored 5 goals.

His international debut came when Peru defeated Brazil 3–1 on 30 September 1975. Roberto's initial goal at the international level was in a 1-0 victory over England by Brazil on 23 May 1976. His last game was during an international friendly match which ended 0-0 between Brazil and Argentina on 17 June 1984

Roberto Dinamite's career goals

Numbers show that Roberto Dinamite did extremely well in his career. He tops the list of all-time goal scorers for Vasco da Gama after scoring 698 goals in official matches.

He has 864 goals in total. The star also holds the record for goals scored in his national championship with 190. What makes his career even more amazing is that he played 1022 games, 768 of which were official matches and 254 of which were friendly matches.

Roberto Dinamite's trophies and achievements

Dinamite's illustrious career saw him win several trophies. With Vasco da Gama, he won the Campeonato Carioca (Rio de Janeiro State Championship) five times (1977, 1982, 1987, 1988, and 1992) and the Brazilian Championship in 1974.

Roberto Dinamite's political career

In addition to his illustrious football career, Roberto Dinamite ventured into politics, serving as a state assembly member in Rio de Janeiro and later as a state deputy for Rio de Janeiro.

In 1992, Roberto Dinamite joined the PSDB party and successfully ran for the State Assembly of Rio de Janeiro. Later, as a member of the PMDB, he was elected as a state deputy for Rio de Janeiro in 1994 and subsequently re-elected in 1998, 2002, and 2006.

Roberto Dinamite's family

Roberto Dinamite with his family members
Roberto Dinamite with his family members. Photos: @rdinamite10 (modified by author)
Source: Instagram

Roberto Dinamite's personal life was as vibrant as his professional career. He was first married to Jurema Crispim, who later became known as Jurema Dinamite. The couple married in 1972 and had two daughters, Thatiana and Luciana. Tragically, Jurema passed away in 1984 due to complications from hemodialysis.

In 1987, Dinamite married Liliane, who remained by his side until his death. Together, they had two children, Roberta and Rodrigo. Rodrigo attempted to follow in his father's footsteps and played for Duque de Caxias. Dinamite's family extended to two beloved grandchildren, Valentina, the daughter of Rodrigo, and Bento, the son of Roberta.

Roberto Dinamite's cause of death

Roberto Dinamite passed away on 8 January 2023 at the age of 68. His death was a significant loss to the football community, and tributes poured in worldwide. The cause of death was complications related to colorectal cancer, a battle he had been fighting for some time.

Trivia

Despite his explosive nickname, which is attributed to his powerful kick, Roberto "Dinamite" was a fantastic human. His broad smile and hearty laughter—which he exhibited most around his family—were as much his signature as his ability to score goals.

Which teams did Roberto Dinamite play for?

Throughout his career, Dinamite remained loyal to Vasco da Gama, where he spent the majority of his playing years. He had a brief stint in Spain with Barcelona in the 1979-1980 season but soon returned to Vasco and later had some loan spells.

What is Roberto Dinamite's record for the most goals scored in a single Brazilian Championship season?

He had 16 goals in the 1984 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.

How many goals did Roberto Dinamite score in total for Vasco da Gama?

The football sensation scored 698 goals for Vasco Da Gama.

Final word

Roberto Dinamite's career was filled with remarkable achievements and interesting moments that have become part of football lore. His journey from a young talent in Duque de Caxias to a legendary figure in Brazilian football is peppered with fascinating details and records that highlight his extraordinary skills and dedication to the sport.

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Authors
Kenneth Mwenda photo
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a business and sports writer with over five years of experience. At Sportsbrief, he contributes to writing biographies and listicles.