New Delhi: Brazilian football great Roberto Carlos has said he is ‘returning to full fitness’ after undergoing a heart procedure, The Indian Express reported.
The Real Madrid great, who won the 2002 World Cup and finished runner-up in 1998 with Brazil, is rumoured to have suffered from a heart attack.
However, the 52-year-old said ‘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 former defender posted on his social media handles a picture of himself smiling in a hospital after Spanish media on Wednesday reported that he had undergone surgery in Brazil.
The World Cup and three-time Champions League winner said ‘I recently underwent a preventative medical procedure, planned in advance with my medical team’ adding ‘the procedure was successful, and I am well.’
A statement by Hospital Vila Nova Star in Sao Paulo said that he was advised to have a coronary angioplasty after a heart obstruction was detected on Monday.
In an illustrious career spanning over two decades, Carlos won 125 Brazil caps alongside spending over a decade playing in Europe with majority of that period being with Real Madrid. He also won the Copa America twice in 1997 and 1999.
Carlos spent one year as player manager of the former Delhi Dynamos in the 2015 season of the Indian Super League.