“IN 2002, I DIDN’T EVEN SEE WHAT ZIDANE DID LIVE – BUT HE ALWAYS THANKED ME FOR IT!”
During the course of a glittering career, Roberto Carlos hit 115 goals. Not bad for a full-back. With four La Liga titles, three Champions League triumphs, two Copa America crowns and a World Cup to his name, he is undoubtedly one of the finest left-backs in history – and before he won any of those prizes, he also scored one of the most iconic goals in history.
His mind-bending free-kick at 1997’s Tournoi de France is a source of wonder; a virtually unexplainable phenomenon like Carlos Valderrama’s hair. After a run-up that started in the centre circle, how did he bend that football quite so ferociously – evading the French wall by almost a yard as it whizzed off in one direction, leaving a ball boy ducking for cover, before swerving back past a helpless Fabien Barthez and in off a post?
Now 47, Roberto Carlos is working for old club Real Madrid and remains close pals with his fellow members of the fabled Galacticos. A day before our interview, Luis Figo popped in. “I have a bar at home, so everyone wants to join me and enjoy a beer,” he grins.
The pair had no shortage of good memories to look back on from their careers – and now the Brazilian is ready to discuss his best ones with FourFourTwo, too...
Is it true you were named Roberto Carlos after a famous Brazilian singer?
Yes, my dad’s a huge fan. When I was a child I didn’t know where it was from, but the older I got, the more I understood who the singer is and what he means to Brazilian culture. Now I like him as well, and it’s a great honour to be named after him.
Only Cafu has more than your 125 Selecao caps, and many call you the most attacking full-back of all time. What do you make of that description?
I just tried to change the idea that a full-back should
