Brazilian football great Roberto Carlos has said that he is recovering well after undergoing a heart procedure. Carlos, who won the 2002 World Cup and finished runner-up in 1998 with Brazil, posted a picture of himself smiling in a hospital on his social media handles.
It had been rumoured on social media that the 52-year-old had suffered from a heart attack. However, the Real Madrid great clarified 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. Earlier Wednesday, Spanish media reported he had undergone surgery in Brazil.
“I recently underwent a preventative medical procedure, planned in advance with my medical team,” the World Cup and three-time Champions League winner said. “The procedure was successful, and I am well.”
Hospital Vila Nova Star in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said in a statement that Carlos had a heart obstruction detected on Monday and was advised to have a coronary angioplasty on the same day. The procedure is minimally invasive and widens blocked or narrowed heart arteries.
Considered one of the greatest full backs of all time, Carlos also won the Copa America twice in 1997 and 1999. In an illustrious career in which he won 125 Brazil caps spanning over two decades, Carlos spent over a decade playing in Europe, a majority of that period being with Spanish giants Real Madrid, for whom he played between 1996 and 2007. He won the Champions League in 1998, 2000 and 2002, along with four La Liga titles in 1997, 2001, 2003 and 2007. Carlos was also part of the Real team that won the 2002 UEFA Super Cup.
Carlos also had a one-year spell as player manager of the erstwhile Delhi Dynamos in the 2015 season of the Indian Super League. He was named as runner-up of the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1997, and the Ballon d’Or in 2002.
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