Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has converted to Islam, according to foreign media reports.
Multiple media outlets reported that the 53-year-old recited the Shahada around four weeks ago during a meeting with Sheikh Jihad Hamada, a well-known figure in Brazil’s Muslim community.
According to the reports, Roberto Carlos had been in contact with Sheikh Hamada for some time before visiting him in Brazil around a month ago. During that meeting, he is said to have recited the Shahada and declared to revert to Islam.
Roberto Carlos has issued no direct statement confirming the claims. That leaves the reports unverified pending comment from the player himself.
The story gained further attention after a post from Ali Sahin, a Turkish MP for the Justice and Development Party. Sahin wrote on the platform X that he had met Sheikh Hamada, who lives in Sao Paulo, during a visit to the Brazilian Charitable Union of Muslim Youth. He described Hamada as one of the 500 most influential figures in the Muslim world.
Sahin said Hamada told him that Roberto Carlos, whom he called one of the legends of Brazilian and world football and a former Fenerbahce player, had been in contact with him for a long time before visiting him four weeks ago to recite the Shahada and choose Islam.
Sahin offered his congratulations to Roberto Carlos, wishing him and his family “a life full of peace, health and blessing.”
Roberto Carlos ranks among the most accomplished defenders in football history. He built his reputation with Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team before a spell in Turkey with Fenerbahce, and his name remains widely recognised among fans around the world.
The claims continue to circulate in Turkish and Brazilian media, though the player himself has yet to speak on the matter.
