Roberto Carlos put the number on himself. Ninety-nine per cent of everything football gave him is gone.

The 53-year-old former Brazil left-back made the confession at the Portugal Football Summit in Lisbon, on a panel titled “Beyond the Pitch: building a brand and legacy in football.” He blamed the collapse on agents and a serious family fallout, and said the moment he grasped the scale of the damage came on a single Friday morning.

“I had problems with people who emptied my bank account. I lost 99% of everything I earned from football,” Carlos told delegates in Lisbon.

He described a discovery that arrived out of nowhere.

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“I had a very serious family problem. On Thursday, I went to bed at midnight and on Friday, I received a pile of documents I knew nothing about. That’s when I realised I had lost my entire history.”

Two decades of football, wiped out on paper

Carlos played 527 matches for Real Madrid and won 127 caps for Brazil, Complete Sports reported from the summit. His honours include the 2002 World Cup, three Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles.

Sports Illustrated put his career earnings at more than $183 million, around €160 million, built up across 24 years as a professional. He now works as a Real Madrid ambassador and, according to the same report, has obtained a sporting director’s licence and collaborates with several media brands.

‘I ask younger players not to do the same’

“I made mistakes, and therefore, I ask younger players not to do the same.”

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His own recovery, he said, has come through a team around him he calls his “Entourage”, which helped him reorganise both his money and his family life after the crisis.

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