Background and career
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), often recognized as Roberto Carlos (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁoˈbɛʁtu ˈkaʁlus]) and sometimes RC3, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the history of the game", and one of the greatest full-backs in history. In 1997, he was runner-up in the FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2002, was runner-up for the Ballon d'Or. He is primarily known for his long career at Real Madrid and constant presence on the Brazilian national team.
He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his career as a left-back. At club level, Roberto Carlos joined Real Madrid from Inter Milan in 1996 to spend 11 highly successful seasons, playing 584 matches in all competitions and scoring 71 goals. At Real, he won four La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League three times. In April 2013, Marca named him in their "Best Foreign Eleven in Real Madrid's History". He is one of the few players to have made over 1,100 professional career appearances at clubs and international levels.
Roberto Carlos made his debut for the Brazil national team in 1992. He played in three World Cups, helping the team reach the final in 1998 in France, and win the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. He was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team in 1998 and 2002. With Brazil, he is especially known for a bending 40-yard free kick against France in the inaugural match of Tournoi de France 1997. With 125 caps, he has made the fourth-most appearances for his national team. He was chosen for the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in a 2002 FIFA poll.
He took up management and was named as the manager of Sivasspor in the Turkish Süper Lig in June 2013. He resigned as head coach in December 2014. From January to June 2015, he was manager of Akhisarspor. Although he announced his retirement from playing at the age of 39 in 2012, he briefly came out of retirement in 2015 when he was appointed player/manager of Indian Super League club Delhi Dynamos.
Roberto Carlos began his professional career playing for União São João, a football club based in Araras in the state of São Paulo. In 1992, despite playing at what was seen as a lesser club and only being 19 years old, he was called up for the Brazil national team. In August 1992, aged 19, he joined Atlético Mineiro on loan and went on the club's tour of Europe. The tour consisted of the B team, as the club was prioritising the first Copa CONMEBOL in South America at the same time. The tour served as a test for many players, and those who stood out could be integrated definitively to the main group. Roberto Carlos did not participate in the first two games in Italy but played the full match against Lleida in Spain on 27 August in a match for the Ciutat de Lleida Trophy. He remained in the team for the next two games, held in Logroño, against Logroñés and Athletic Bilbao. Before retiring from football in 2014, Roberto Carlos thanked Atlético Mineiro for the opportunity.
How Roberto Carlos makes money
Anzhi Makhachkala On 12 February 2011, after being heavily linked with a move to Notts County, Roberto Carlos signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Russian Premier League club Anzhi Makhachkala, worth approximately €10 million.
