Roberto Carlos

Roberto Carlos (footballer)
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For the singer, see Roberto Carlos (singer).
Roberto Carlos
Personal information
Full name Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha[1]
Date of birth April 10, 1973 (1973-04-10) (age 34)
Place of birth Garça, São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.68m (5ft 6in)
Playing position Wingback
Club information
Current club Fenerbahçe
Number 3
Youth clubs
1990-1992 União São João
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1993-1995
1995-1996
1996-2007
2007- Palmeiras
Internazionale
Real Madrid
Fenerbahçe 068 0(5)
030 0(5)
370 (46)
014 0(1)
National team2
1992- Brazil 125 (19)[2]

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of October 6, 2007.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of October 6, 2007.
* Appearances (Goals)

Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born April 10, 1973, Garça, São Paulo), better known simply as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian football player who currently plays for Turkish club Fenerbahçe[3], normally as a wingback. Carlos has been a member of the Brazil national team in three World Cups, helping the team reach the final in the 1998 edition and win the 2002 tournament.

Before joining Fenerbahçe, he played for Spanish club Real Madrid for eleven years, winning four leagues, three UEFA Champions League trophies, and two Intercontinental Cups. He is also one of only five players to have played more than one hundred matches in the Champions League, as of March 2007.[4]

He finished second to countryman Ronaldo in the 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year award poll and was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
Club career

Roberto Carlos began his career playing for Palmeiras, before moving to Inter Milan, at the age of 22. It was in 1996 that Roberto Carlos would join Spanish giants Real Madrid. Roberto Carlos is notable for being best friends with Formula 1 Ferrari driver Felipe Massa.

[edit] Real Madrid (1996-2007)

Roberto Carlos played at Madrid eleven seasons, and a total of 512 matches in all competitions. 370 of them were league matches, in which he scored 46 goals from his left-back position.

On August 2, 2005, Carlos received dual Spanish and Brazilian citizenship. This proved important for Real Madrid, as it meant that he now counted as a European Union player, opening up one of the club's allowed three slots for non-EU players and enabling Real to sign fellow Brazilian star Robinho.

During the 2005-06 season, there was news of the possibility of Roberto Carlos leaving Madrid, after which he was linked to several clubs, most notably Chelsea[5] and Fenerbahçe[6]. In January 2006, he set a club record for the most league matches played by a non-Spanish born player by making his 330th appearance for Madrid. He broke the previous mark of 329 held by Alfredo Di Stefano.[7]

Having played 30 or more league matches for ten consecutive seasons and being one of the most consistent players in the squad, he was heavily criticized for conceding the ball early during the second leg of the Champions League round of sixteen against Bayern Munich, which led to Roy Makaay's goal, the quickest goal in the tournament's history, effectively eliminating Real from the competition. On March 9, 2007, he announced his decision to not renew his contract with Real Madrid.

[edit] Fenerbahçe (2007-present)

On June 19, 2007, Roberto Carlos had signed a 2 year contract and 1 year optional with the Turkish Super League Champion Fenerbahçe at the stadium in front of thousands of fans. [8][9] In the first official match he played with the team, Fenerbahce won the Turkish Super Cup against Beşiktaş J.K. by 2 goals. He scored his first goal for Fenerbahce on August 25, 2007. He scored with a header which is a rare occurrence from Roberto Carlos, and this was only his 3rd headed goal of his career. He continues to be one of the most beloved players of the team by the fans, and is an indispensible, key member of the squad.

[edit] National team

He has amassed 125 caps, scoring 19 goals for the Brazilian national team. He had retired from international football following Brazil's 1-0 quarter final defeat to eventual World Cup finalists France at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. However In Dec 2007,Carlos has stated he will return to play for Brazil should Dunga wish to aquire his services.

[edit] 1998 FIFA World Cup

At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, in France, Roberto Carlos played 7 matches, including the final.

[edit] 2002 FIFA World Cup

After a qualifying game for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Jose Luis Chilavert, a paraguayan goalkeeper, spat on Roberto Carlos, an action which caused FIFA to give him a three-match suspension and forced him to watch the first game of the World Cup from the stands. In Korea and Japan, Roberto Carlos also played 7 matches, scoring a goal against China, which was a freekick taken from more than 25 meters out. This free kick was taken hard with no effect on the ball. He also was a starter in the final against Germany.

[edit] 2006 FIFA World Cup

After the elimination by France in the quarterfinal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he announced his retirement from international football. Against France, he was widely criticised for fixing his shoelaces during a Zidane-inspired freekick which resulted in a goal from Thierry Henry.