Photo: AFP
Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has stated that he is healing well following a heart procedure. Carlos, who won the 2002 World Cup and finished second in 1998 with Brazil, shared a photo of himself smiling in a hospital on his social media pages.
The 52-year-old had allegedly suffered from a heart attack, according to social media rumours. However, the Real Madrid star stressed that this was not the reason for his hospitalisation. “I did not suffer a heart attack. I am recovering well, and looking forward to returning to full fitness and resuming my professional and personal commitments soon,” the 52-year-old former defender said on social media. Spanish media reported earlier on Wednesday that he had surgery in Brazil.
Hospital Vila Nova Star in São Paulo said in a statement that doctors detected a blockage in Carlos’s heart on Monday, after which he was advised to undergo a coronary angioplasty the same day. The hospital explained that the procedure is minimally invasive and is used to open narrowed or blocked arteries supplying the heart, Indian Express reported.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest full-backs in football history, Carlos enjoyed an illustrious international career, winning the Copa América with Brazil in 1997 and 1999. He earned 125 caps for the national team over more than two decades. Much of his club career was spent in Europe, particularly with Real Madrid, where he played from 1996 to 2007. During his time with the Spanish club, he won the Champions League titles in 1998, 2000 and 2002, as well as four La Liga trophies in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2007. He was also part of the Real Madrid side that lifted the UEFA Super Cup in 2002.
Carlos later had a brief stint in Indian football, serving as player-manager of the then Delhi Dynamos during the 2015 Indian Super League season. Individually, he finished as the runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1997 and the Ballon d’Or in 2002.