Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), more commonly known simply as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his career as a left-back and has been described as the "most offensive-minded left-back in the history of the game". He was nicknamed El Hombre Bala ("The Bullet Man") due to his powerful bending free kicks, which have been measured at over 105 miles per hour (169 km/h). He is also known for his stamina, running speed, technical skills, crossing ability, long throw ins and 24-inch (61 cm) thighs.

Roberto Carlos began his professional career playing for Uniao Sao Joao, a football club based in Araras in the state of Sao Paulo. In 1992, despite playing at what was seen as a lesser club and only being 19 years old, he was called up for the Brazil national team. In August 1992, aged 19, he joined Atletico Mineiro on loan and went on the club's tour of Europe. The tour consisted of the B team, as the club was prioritising the first Copa CONMEBOL in South America at the same time. The tour served as a test for many players, and those who stood out could be integrated definitively to the main group. Roberto Carlos did not participate in the first two games in Italy but played the full match against Lleida in Spain on 27 August in a match for the Ciutat de Lleida Trophy. He remained in the team for the next two games, held in Logrono, against Logrones and Athletic Bilbao. Before retiring from football in 2014, Roberto Carlos thanked Atletico Mineiro for the opportunity. In 1993, Roberto Carlos joined Palmeiras, where he played for two seasons, winning two consecutive Brazilian league titles. After almost signing for Aston Villa side in 1995, Roberto Carlos chose a move to Inter Milan, in the Serie A, playing one season for the Nerazzurri. He scored a 30-yard free-kick on his debut in a 1-0 win over Vicenza but his season at Inter was unsuccessful, with the club finishing seventh in Serie A. In an interview with FourFourTwo in a May 2005 issue, Roberto Carlos said that the then-coach of Inter, Roy Hodgson, wanted him to play as a winger, but Carlos wanted to play as a left-back. Carlos spoke to Inter owner Massimo Moratti "to see if he could sort things out and it soon became clear that the only solution was to leave".

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