Roberto Dinamite

Carlos Roberto de Oliveira (13 April 1954 – 8 January 2023), known as Roberto Dinamite, was a Brazilian footballer and politician.

He was born in Duque de Caxias, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. With a career as a forward spanning over twenty years, Roberto is the Vasco da Gama player with the most appearances and all-time top goalscorer, as well as the overall leading scorer in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and the Campeonato Carioca. In 2022, Vasco da Gama honored him with a statue at São Januário. In December 2024, the Brazilian Football Confederation designated the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top-scorer award as the "Roberto Dinamite Trophy", establishing the title for all subsequent editions of the competition.

At the national level, Roberto Dinamite played in the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cups and the 1972 Olympic Games. He also was president of Vasco da Gama from 2008 to 2014, and Rio de Janeiro state deputy for five consecutive terms.

Club career Roberto Dinamite was developed at Vasco da Gama youth squad. He is one of the most famous Vasco da Gama players, and is the club's greatest goal scorer. He scored 698 goals wearing the club's shirt and 864 goals in all his career. He played 1022 matches (768 official matches, and 254 friendly matches).

Roberto was nicknamed Dinamite by the journalist Aparício Pires, of Jornal dos Sports newspaper, after scoring a spectacular goal in his debut for the professional team, on 25 November 1971, against Internacional, at Maracanã stadium. The journalist wrote in the newspaper that the Dynamite-Boy detonates at Maracanã.

Dinamite retired on 24 March 1993, when he was 39 years old. His last match was on that day, when Deportivo de La Coruña of Spain beat Vasco da Gama 2–0 at Maracanã stadium, in a friendly game in which Zico also played (for Vasco). He played 38 matches against national teams (20 of them were official FIFA matches), and scored 20 goals, and the nine other matches were against combined teams, and clubs, scoring five goals in those matches. His first national team match was played on 30 September 1975, when the Peru national team beat Brazil 3–1. He scored one goal in his last match, played on 11 August 1972, when Brazil and Tuna Luso drew 1–1. and in 2006, with 49,097 votes.

Roberto Dinamite was a candidate to Vasco da Gama presidency in 2003 and in 2006. He was elected president of Vasco da Gama on 21 June 2008.

Career statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Brazil's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dinamite goal.

Honours Vasco da Gama Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1974 Campeonato Carioca: 1977, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1992 Copa Rio: 1992 Taça Guanabara: 1976, 1977, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992 Taça Rio: 1984, 1988, 1992 Torneio Extra: 1990

Brazil FIFA World Cup third place: 1978 Copa América runner-up: 1983 Copa América third place: 1979 Taça do Atlântico: 1976 Copa Río Branco: 1976 Taça Oswaldo Cruz: 1976 Bicentennial Cup: 1976

Brazil U23 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic: 1971

Brazil Masters World Cup of Masters: 1991

Rio de Janeiro Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais: 1987

Records and Individual 22nd-highest official goalscorer in football history: 517 goals (according to RSSSF) 4th-highest official free-kick goalscorer in football history: 73 goals Vasco da Gama all-time top goalscorer: 702 goals Campeonato Brasileiro Série A all-time top goalscorer: 190 goals Campeonato Carioca all-time top goalscorer: 284 goals Clássico dos Milhões (vs Flamengo) all-time top goalscorer: 27 goals Clássico dos Gigantes (vs Fluminense) all-time top goalscorer: 36 goals Clássico da Amizade (vs Botafogo) all-time top goalscorer: 25 goals Campeonato Brasileiro Série A top scorer: 1974 (16 goals), 1984 (16 goals) Campeonato Carioca top scorer: 1978 (19 goals), 1981 (31 goals), 1985 (12 goals) Bola de Prata: 1979, 1981, 1984 Copa América top scorer: 1983 (3 goals) Maior Ídolo do Rio (Rio's Greatest Idol) by Jornal dos Sports newspaper: 1985 Craque do Brasil (Outstanding player of Brazil) by Jornal dos Sports newspaper: 1985