The turbulent life of Roberto Carlos: 11 children, 7 women and a '$164 million divorce'

What do we know about Roberto Carlos? He is arguably one of the best left-backs to ever play in the 21st century, and the Brazilian international was a setpiece expert.

In fact, his legendary set-piece ability was like no other. His left foot will always be remembered for his long freekick, 35 meters from the French goal, that was clocked at a whopping 138km/h!

Born on April 10th, 1973, in Brazil, he found his passion for football at an early age playing on the streets of São Paulo.

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The former Brazilian played in up to nine teams (Atlético Mineiro, Inter Milan, Corinthians...), hanging up his boots in 2015 with the Indian Delhi Dynamos, later becoming their coach.

But he will always be linked to Real Madrid, where he played 527 games in 11 seasons, scoring 69 goals and distributing 86 assists, crazy numbers for a full-back.

In fact, he remains one of Real Madrid's most respected figures to this day. Not only does he participate in Real Madrid TV, but he is also an ambassador for the club and often accompanies the team on their trips. In addition, he works with the Real Madrid Foundation.

Throughout his career, he scored 91 goals, which is maybe not impressive compared to Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi, but a whopping number for a defender.

But there's more to Roberto Carlos than just his incredible football and stats. His personal life is a little chaotic. Most notably, he is the father of 11 children... with 7 different women!

"I've only had two wives. It would be more complicated to count the women with whom I had children," he confessed in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Indeed. His paternal journey begins with Alexandra Pinheiro, his first wife, with whom he had three children: Roberta, Giovanna and Roberto Junior.

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In 2017, his daughter Giovanna would make him a precocious grandfather, with the birth of Pedro. Roberto Carlos was 44 years old.

After divorcing Alexandra Pinheiro, the former player maintained a relationship with Alessandra Martins, with whom he had his son Luca, and, later, with Simone Hamilko, with whom he would have Carlos Eduardo.

Barbara Thurler is the mother of Bernardo and Betina, while Alexandra Fedra brought Christopher and Dora Robles to the world.

Things settled for Roberto Carlos in 2009. In June of that year, he married Mariana Lucon, his current wife, with whom he has had Manuela and Marina.

And for the longest time it seemed like Roberto Carlos was enjoying a quiet family life, living at the exclusive La Moraleja estate in Madrid, close to Real Madrid's Ciudad Deportiva headquarters.

But in January 2025, news emerged that things were as chaotic as ever for the legendary defender, who was facing a divorce from Lucon, with salacious details emerging in the press about the circumstances around the separation.

Carlos has since denied many of the details published, which claimed he was forced to live at the Real Madrid training ground as his €160.4 million (£133 million/$164.1 million) fortune was tied up in the divorce, as reported by The Sun. He has since issued a statement on X, denying the claims and threatening legal action.

"In recent days, I have become aware of false and damaging stories circulating about me and my family. While I value privacy, I feel compelled to address the baseless rumors about my living situation. These fabricated stories are entirely false and seem designed to generate clicks. I remain at a private residence, supported by members of my family."

"My legal team is reviewing these claims and will take appropriate action. I ask for privacy regarding personal matters and thank those who continue to support me during this time," the statement concluded.

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