Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has reportedly converted to Islam in Brazil around four weeks ago. The claim was made public by Turkish AK Party MP Ali Şahin, who said he received the information from a prominent member of Brazil’s Muslim community.
According to Şahin, Sheikh Jihad Hammadeh, a well-known figure in Brazil’s Muslim community and vice president and religious adviser of the National Association of Islamic Lawyers (ANAJI), told him that Roberto Carlos had been in contact with him for some time.
Hammadeh reportedly said that Carlos visited him around four weeks ago and, during the meeting, recited the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, thereby embracing Islam.
Şahin made the claim following a meeting in São Paulo with representatives of Brazil’s Muslim community, including Hammadeh and representatives of other Islamic organizations.
The Turkish MP congratulated Carlos on what he described as his conversion to Islam, wishing him and his family peace, health and prosperity.
However, Roberto Carlos himself or his family have not publicly confirmed the claim so far. Therefore, the report remains an allegation based on statements from representatives of Brazil’s Muslim community and the Turkish MP, rather than a confirmed statement from the former footballer.
Roberto Carlos, 53, is regarded as one of the greatest left-backs in football history. He spent much of his career at Real Madrid and later played for Fenerbahçe, joining the Turkish club in 2007.
Reports about his alleged conversion have also attracted attention following his marriage to Suheyla El Tahiri, a Moroccan-born football agent. However, the marriage itself does not constitute confirmation of Carlos’s religious beliefs.
