Roberto Carlos in ISL: The Bullet Man’s final stop
Brazil football legend Roberto Carlos was the player-manager for Delhi Dynamos during the ISL 2015 season. He played the last match of his professional career in India.
Football
A FIFA World Cup champion with Brazil, a four-time La Liga and three-time UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid, and most importantly the scorer of ‘that’ miraculous free-kick vs France in 1997, Roberto Carlos is a true football legend.
The Brazilian defender is often considered the best left-back to have ever played the beautiful game and most fans remember him from his days as a Los Galactico and an almost-invincible Brazil national football team in the early 2000s.
However, very few may remember how and when Roberto Carlos’ illustrious career ended. Brazil’s famous El Hombre Bala or The Bullet Man, in fact, played the last professional match of his club career in India - for the now-defunct Delhi Dynamos FC team in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Roberto Carlos’ arrival in ISL
Roberto Carlos joined ISL in 2015 - ahead of the competition’s second season. The Brazilian was signed by Delhi Dynamos to replace Italian icon Alessandro Del Piero as their marquee player.
The Brazilian, an Olympic bronze medal winner from the Atlanta 1996 Summer Games, was 42 at the time and way past his glory days.
It had been eight long years since Roberto Carlos had left Real. After brief stints with Turkish team Fenerbahce, Brazilian giants Corinthian and Russian club FC Anzhi Makhachkala following his departure from Spain, Roberto Carlos announced his retirement from professional football.
During his last season with Anzhi, Carlos temporarily filled in as a caretaker coach following the sacking of Gadzhi Gadzhiyev.
Post his retirement, the Brazilian took over as head coach of Turkish team Sivasspor and later served as the manager for Sivasspor’s local rivals Akhisarspor.
In July 2015, it was announced that Roberto Carlos would be joining ISL club Delhi Dynamos as a player-manager.
“Namaste India. I am coming to you, into the club, which is mine now,” the Brazilian declared. “I want to win together. Delhi Dynamos, Jai Hind.”
Interestingly, Roberto Carlos was the first player-cum-manager in the ISL. His status as a player also meant he had to come out of retirement.
Roberto Carlos as a player in ISL
Roberto Carlos made his ISL debut for Delhi Dynamos on October 4, 2015, in an away match against FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.
The Brazilian left-back started the match from the bench but after his side went 2-0 behind at half-time, Roberto Carlos brought himself on as a substitute for Hans Mulder and played the entire second half.
Though he couldn’t save his team from a defeat, Roberto Carlos ensured the margin of the loss didn’t increase any further. The match ended 2-0 in FC Goa’s favour.
Despite keeping himself on the bench in several more matches, Roberto Carlos would go on to play only two more games for Delhi Dynamos. His next was a 1-0 win over Atletico de Kolkata - the Brazilian’s only victory in the Delhi Dynamos shirt as a player.
Roberto Carlos’ final match for Delhi Dynamos as a player, as well as in professional football, was a 1-1 draw against NorthEast United FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. He also captained the Dynamos in his last match.
Roberto Carlos played only three matches in the ISL as a player and failed to score in any of them.
Roberto Carlos’ record as ISL player
Matches and results
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vs FC Goa - lost 2-0
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vs Atletico de Kolkata - won 1-0
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vs NorthEast United FC - drew 1-1
Roberto Carlos as a manager in ISL
Roberto Carlos’ stint in the Delhi Dynamos’ dugout as manager, however, was far more fruitful than his time on the field.
Under the Brazilian’s stewardship, Delhi Dynamos finished the league stage in fourth position with six wins, four draws and four defeats. The top-four finish meant Delhi qualified for the ISL playoffs for the first time in the team’s history.
In the two-legged semi-finals, Roberto Carlos masterminded a 1-0 first-leg victory over FC Goa, then managed by fellow Brazilian legend Zico. The second leg, however, didn’t go Carlos’ way as FC Goa won 3-0.
It was Roberto Carlos’ final match, as a manager, in the ISL.