MILAN, July 7 (Reuters) - San Marino champions S.S. Murata
said on Monday they were hoping to coax former Brazil striker
Romario out of retirement for their Champions League first
qualifying round tie this month.
Murata, who have won back-to-back doubles in the tiny
republic on the Italian peninsula, host Sweden's Gothenburg in
the first leg on Tuesday.
'The chances of seeing Romario in our jersey are around 70
percent,' Murata's sporting director Denis Casadei told Italy's
ANSA news service.
Romario, 42, announced his retirement in April, ending a
controversial career in which he claimed to have scored more
than 1,000 goals.
Murata recruited fellow Brazilian World Cup winner Aldair
for last year's Champions League campaign and the 42-year-old
former AS Roma defender is poised to turn out again against the
Swedes.
Casadei also had the idea of asking retired seven-times
Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher to play for his
team but the move looks unlikely.
'Schumacher is a lot more difficult. To say the opposite
would suggest we only wanted publicity. Instead what interests
us is what happens on the pitch and Romario seems to us to be a
great reinforcement,' he said.
'We shouldn't forget Aldair, who will be with us for the
second consecutive year.'
