In July of 1994, in the middle of the FIFA World Cup tournament, the wife of Brazilian soccer player Bebeto (full name: José Roberto Gama de Oliveira) gave birth to a baby boy.
The couple decided to name the baby Mattheus in honor of famed German footballer Lothar Matthäus (pronounced LOH-tar mah-TEH-oos), whose surname is the German form of Matthew.
Two days later, Brazil played the Netherlands in the World Cup quarterfinals. Bebeto scored one of Brazil’s goals and — to celebrate both the goal and his newborn son — began to swing his arms side-to-side, as if rocking a baby.
At the sideline, two other Brazilian players (Mazinho and Romário) joined in on the rock-a-baby revelry:
This memorable goal celebration is likely behind the debut of Mattheus in the U.S. baby name data the following year:
- 1997: unlisted
- 1996: 7 baby boys named Mattheus
- 1995: 6 baby boys named Mattheus [debut]
- 1994: unlisted
- 1993: unlisted
The Brazilian Portuguese spelling of the name, Matheus, also saw an uptick in usage in the mid-1990s.
Almost two decades later, in 2012, Mattheus Oliveira — following in his father’s footsteps — made his debut as a professional footballer.
Sources:
- 1994 FIFA World Cup – Wikipedia
- Longman, Jere. “For Now, Just Call It a Truce.” New York Times 13 Jul. 1994: B-12.
Second image: Screenshot of “100 Great Brazilian Goals: #31 Bebeto (USA 1994)” © 2014 FIFA