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Roberto Carlos

Current club: Fenerbahçe
Number: 3
Personal website: robertocarlos03.terra.com.br

Roberto Carlos, full name Roberto Carlos da Silva (born April 10, 1973, Garça, São Paulo), is a Brazilian football wingback who currently plays for Turkish side Fenerbahçe. Carlos has also 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. He is one of only five players to have played more than 100 matches in the Champions League as of March 2007.

Roberto Carlos is known for his trademark powerful free kicks (known as a cannon). He is also known for his speed and his aggressiveness at joining the offense, often leading counter attacks from the back of the field. He is regarded as one of the best full backs of all time. 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.

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 settle with Spanish giants Real Madrid. playing there for eleven years, making him the club's longest serving foreign player.

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 and Fenerbahçe.

In the 2006-2007 season, Carlos fell out of favour with the then coach Fabio Capello. His playing time was dramatically reduced, and he was mostly being used as a substitute. During the second leg of the Champions League round of sixteen against Bayern Munich, he was heavily criticized for conceding the ball early which led to Roy Makaay's goal, the quickest goal in the tournament's history, which effectively eliminated Real from the competition. On March 9, 2007, he announced his decision to not renew his contract with Real Madrid.

On June 19, 2007, Roberto Carlos had signed a 2 year contract and 1 year optional with the Turkish Amateur leauge Champion Fenerbahçe at the stadium in front of a couple of fans.