Roberto Carlos opened up about one of the most difficult chapters of his life during the second day of the Portugal Football Summit, where the former Real Madrid star appeared on the panel titled “Beyond the pitch: building a brand and a legacy in football.”
The 53-year-old Brazilian, a 2002 World Cup winner and widely regarded as one of the greatest left-backs in football history, spoke about the importance of preparing for life after retirement. According to Roberto Carlos, he had already begun planning his future while he was still playing at the highest level.
“I always thought about the stage after my career. It's about building a story as a player and making the most of your image. When I decided to leave football, I already had the sporting director's license and was working with many brands,” explained the current Real Madrid ambassador.
However, despite having planned carefully for his post-playing career, Roberto Carlos revealed that financial and personal problems later had a devastating impact on his wealth.
As reported by Record, the former Brazil international said that he ultimately lost almost all of the fortune he had accumulated during his long career, attributing the situation to problems involving agents and family matters.
“I had problems with people who left my bank account at zero. Because of agents and family issues, I lost 99 percent of everything I had earned in football. I made mistakes and, because of that, I ask the younger ones not to do the same. Paul reorganized my life. With "Entourage" I managed to restructure my financial and family life,” he revealed about an issue that affects many footballers.
Roberto Carlos, who made 527 appearances for Real Madrid and represented Brazil 127 times, also provided further details about the circumstances surrounding the loss of his wealth.
“I had a serious problem with my former agent. I had an extremely serious family problem. On Thursday I went to bed at midnight and, on Friday, I received a pile of documents whose existence I was unaware of. That’s when I lost my entire history”.