Cesar Maia, the mayor of Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro, began a campaign Tuesday to include Romario in Brazil's national soccer team for the Pan-American Games to be held in Rio from July 13 to 29.

Romario is 41 and is seeking to score his 1,000th goal as a professional soccer player. But the Games soccer tournament, originally planned as an under-20 event, has been revised to an under-17 event, because it clashes with the under-20 soccer World Cup in Canada.

Maia said that the chance that Romario, who currently plays for Brazilian league team Vasco da Gama, could score his 1,000th goal during the tournament would be an attractive added ingredient. The player has currently 999 goals on record.

"The Brazil Football Federation will decide. But it would be excellent to see Romario scoring his 1,000th goal at the Games. The fans would attend the competition in higher numbers even though an under-17 squad will be playing," Maia told reporters.

Romario has said several times that he would accept without a second thought, if offered a place on the Pan-American Games team.

Source: Xinhua