Zeca Pagodinho, Romário and Bebeto: Three Legends Talk Music, Soccer, Brazil & the Party
Categoria: Musica
Billboard Brasil sat the singer-songwriter down with the legendary athletes.
Por Billboard | 08/06/2026
This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries. Zeca Pagodinho is an endless source of stories and anecdotes. One of the most remarkable took place in 2012, during the celebrations of Corinthians’ world title, when he asked for a round of applause for Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach of Palmeiras, Corinthians’ archrival. After many boos, a kind soul explained that Scolari was their coach, while Corinthians was led by Tite. It’s almost ironic that this 67-year-old Carioca — one of the greatest names in Brazilian music of all time, and admittedly averse to soccer (“I don’t have the patience to watch matches, and whenever I do watch, my team concedes a goal,” he deflects) — ended up being the interpreter of one of the biggest anthems in recent Brazilian soccer history. The samba “Deixa a Vida me Levar” (“Let Life Take Me”), by Serginho Meriti and Eri do Cais, which Zeca recorded on his 2002 album of the same name, was adopted as an anthem by the team that won the World Cup that year. And the sambista , of course, has no idea how the song ended up there. “My son told me the players were singing it. Then they threw a party with it,” he says. Related Bob Dylan Plays 'You Ain't Goin' Nowhere' for First Time in 14 Years These Are the Artists Who Will Be on the Official Album for the FIFA World Cup 2026 What’s the Best Official FIFA World Cup Song of All Time? Vote for J.Lo, Shakira, Will Smith, Il Divo & More Pagodinho welcomed Billboard Brasil on a Tuesday afternoon at his headquarters, the Pagode do Zeca, and was joined by two four‑time world champions: Romário and Bebeto, the striker duo that delivered plenty of samba at the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Zeca once took part in a tryout for Everest Atlético Clube, a club founded in the 1950s in Rio’s North Zone. “I didn’t last 10 seconds on the field. I was right back. The coach looked at me and told me to get out,” he confesses. Romário, for his part, also tried to trade the ball for the microphone. In 1995, he and fellow striker Edmundo recorded the funk track “O Rap dos Bad Boys.” “You can believe he was a better fullback than I was a singer,” Romário jokes. Zeca even tried to score a goal. A while back, he arranged it with the opposing goalkeeper. “There was a soccer tournament in Irajá at the end of the year. I said, ‘Look, I’ll give the keeper a little something to let me score.’ It was all set. But the Irajá field back then was really bad — there was a puddle on the penalty spot. When I went to shoot, the ball stopped on the spot, and I kept sliding all the way to the goal. And I still had to pay the keeper his little bonus.” Pagodinho Felipe Alberto Good samba and well‑played soccer are practically a science: the right pass, the well‑crafted verse, the