Only Pele lies ahead of Romario, with his amazing total of 1,281 goals scored over four decades.
Sunday's match was part of the local Rio de Janeiro championship, a relatively unimportant fixture in the calendar which therefore attracts little public attention.
But even so, the Vasco da Gama striker showed he was still intent on making history and kept the match ball at the final whistle.
After the game, "Baixinho" (Little One), as Romario is often called, thanked all the teams he has played for and against to help him to the total.
Apart from Vasco, the 36-year-old has delighted the supporters of Olaria, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Flamengo and Valencia.
Reaching such a landmark is all very well, but what Romario really desires is to get his place back in the national team.
"I'm very happy, but of course, my goal is to play in the World Cup," he said after the game.
"Today I am happy, but I still haven't achieved everything I want.
"It's an honour to pass Zico and trail only Pele. I'm here to score goals, always. It's what I know how to do best."