In Portugal, Roberto Carlos used the Portugal Football Summit to look beyond the familiar highlights of his playing career and address the financial dangers that can follow retirement. The former Brazil and Real Madrid defender told younger footballers that he lost 99 per cent of the money he earned in the game after damaging professional and family disputes, while urging them to prepare for life after the pitch.
A warning from a decorated career
Roberto Carlos said he had always tried to plan for the period after he stopped playing. Before retirement, he had obtained a sporting director’s licence and was already working with several commercial brands, building a profile beyond his football career.
But those preparations did not protect him from what he described as a sequence of poor decisions and damaging relationships. He said his experience should serve as a warning to players at the beginning of their careers.
- He said representatives and family-related matters contributed to the loss of almost everything he had made in football.
- The Brazilian accepted that he had made mistakes himself.
- He urged younger players not to repeat the errors that brought him close to financial collapse.
Documents that changed everything
The former left-back described a severe dispute involving a previous agent, alongside what he called a very serious family problem. He recalled going to bed at midnight on a Thursday, then receiving a large number of documents the following day whose existence he had not known about.
For Roberto Carlos, that moment marked the disappearance of the life and security he believed he had built. He said the people around him had left his bank account empty, and that 99 per cent of his football earnings had gone.
Rebuilding before the final fall
Roberto Carlos said he was able to regain some financial stability before reaching complete ruin. He credited Paul and the company Entourage with reorganising both his finances and his family life.
His message in Portugal was shaped by the knowledge that not every retired player gets that opportunity. The transition out of elite football, he suggested, demands planning, trustworthy advice and close attention to the people entrusted with a player’s money and affairs.
