Romario picking final club

Brazilian striker Romario, who will be 37 this month, said on Monday that his next club will be his last as speculation mounted over where he would continue his career.

Romario is expected to choose between staying at Fluminense, where he ended a six-month contract last month, or moving back to for a third stint at their local rivals Flamengo -- who sacked him just over three years ago, saying he spent a night on the town without permission.

"The home which shelters me now will be my last," Romario told reporters as he left a restaurant following lunch with Flamengo directors.

"My wish is to wake up, train and play at a club where I'm wanted."

Romario was due to meet Fluminense officials later the same day.

Romario scored 15 goals for Fluminense as he led them to the semi-finals of the Brazilian championship last year after moving from Vasco da Gama.

Although other players at Fluminense claimed they were being paid several months late, Romario's wages were paid directly by the team sponsors.

Romario is still regarded as one of Brazil's most prolific penalty area specialists and his exclusion from the World Cup squad last year caused a national outcry, which died down as Brazil progressed through the tournament to win a record fifth title.

His career has also taken him to Barcelona and Valencia in Spain and PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Romario's last spell with Flamengo -- Brazil's most popular club -- ended in November 1999, when he was fired by the then president Edmundo Santos Silva for leaving the team hotel and spending a night at a discotheque after his team had been knocked out of the Brazilian championship.

The incident happened in the town of Caxias do Sul, the heart of Brazil's wine-producing region, where Romario was photographed with the "Queen of the Grape Festival."

"He went to a nightclub to have a good time while millions of fans were crying at home," said Silva at the time. Silva was fired by the club last year for alleged misuse of funds and replaced by Helio Ferraz.