Former Real Madrid and Brazil icon Roberto Carlos has spoken openly about the financial difficulties he encountered after bringing his illustrious playing career to an end in 2016, revealing that he lost almost everything he had earned during his time as a professional footballer.The legendary left-back discussed his experience at a football summit in Portugal during a session titled "Building Brand and Legacy in Football", where he reflected on the importance of planning for life beyond the pitch.According to Roberto Carlos, preparing for retirement had been on his mind well before he stopped playing, and he had already secured a qualification in sports management while also working with a number of commercial brands.##EDITORS_CHOICE##The Brazilian explained: "I have always thought about what I will do after retirement. It is about building a career as a player and then benefiting from your image. When I decided to leave football, I already had a license to work in sports management, and I was working with several brands."Despite those preparations, however, his plans did not prevent him from encountering major financial problems. Roberto Carlos claimed that people close to him, including representatives and members of his family, played a role in the losses he suffered."But I faced problems with people who left my bank account empty. Due to representatives and some family issues, I lost 99% of what I earned in football."Brazilian football icon Roberto Carlos revealed he lost 99% of his £133m career earnings due to issues with an ex-agent and a relative. The 2002 World Cup-winning left-back said he had to rebuild from almost nothing after bad documents nearly wiped him out. pic.twitter.com/Z52jDwPyqn— VIC THOR ⚽ (@victhor_xyz) September 25, 2026 The former defender went on to identify problems involving a former representative as one of the factors behind his financial downfall, while also referring to what he described as a serious family crisis. Looking back on the experience, he admitted that some of the decisions he made contributed to the situation."I made mistakes, and that's why I ask young people not to do the same."After all, he revealed just how suddenly his circumstances changed, describing a moment when he discovered the existence of documents he had previously known nothing about.🚨🚨🎙️| Roberto Carlos on the Ballon d'Or: "The Ballon d'Or? Kylian Mbappé!" 🌟 pic.twitter.com/OLJ6iSJ8Re— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) September 24, 2026 "I faced a serious problem with my former representatives, and I went through a very serious family issue. One Thursday night, I went to sleep at midnight, and on Friday morning, I received a large set of documents that I didn't even know existed. At that point, I lost everything I had built throughout my career."His comments serve as a personal account of the difficulties he encountered after football, despite having enjoyed one of the most successful careers of his generation.##NAJAVA_MECA_9985220##