Football stories | Ze Roberto

The ageless Ze Roberto is still that hard-working and versatile player, even at the age of 42! Yes, he is not as quick as in the beginning of his professional career, but he is good enough to be part of one of the best teams in Brazil!

The Brazilian hasn’t forgotten how to cross, pass and tackle! He is famous for his ability to switch his positions on the pitch. Ze Roberto can play at each of the positions in midfield. He can also be used as left fullback, because of his stronger left foot. Sometimes Ze Roberto is given a more creative role on the pitch, because of his great technique.

To continue with, Ze Roberto started his professional career at the Brazilian club Portuguesa in 1994, when he was at the age of 19. In his early seasons, he was used mainly as a left fullback. The Ze Roberto’s good performance helped his first team become the runners-up in the Campeonato Brasileiro in 1996. Then, a lot of European clubs were interested in signing the Brazilian talent, and eventually Ze Roberto chose Real Madrid. And he immediately showed he has a great potential, after scoring a goal against Rosenborg in the Champions League.

However, the Brazilian only recorded 15 games with Los Blancos’ shirt and returned to his home country. Actually, he had really limited opportunities to play for Real Madrid. That’s why he decided to move to Flamengo, because he wanted to be a part of the Brazilian national team in the World Cup 1998. Moving to Flamengo secured him a lot of playing time, which let him show his qualities again. As a result, Ze Roberto was called for the World Cup. He even appeared in one match of the competition – against Denmark (came on in the 87th minute, replacing the superstar Rivaldo).

The real place, Ze Roberto made a name for himself, was Bayer Leverkusen, where he moved after the end of the World Cup. The Brazilian spent 4 great seasons there. The Brazilian contributed a lot to his team, which was in its greatest period. Bayer Leverkusen reached the final of the Champions League in 2002, but lost it to Real Madrid 1-2 after the incredible volley goal, scored by Zinedine Zidane. However, the Brazilian scored 17 goals in over 100 matches for the German team and helped his team become the runners-up in the Bundesliga twice in 4 seasons.

After his spell at Leverkusen, the Brazilian signed for Bayern Munich, where Ze Roberto showed his real face. The Bavarians won the Bundesliga and the German Cup on 4 occasions. Ze Roberto was in Bayern Munich’s squad until 2009. Meanwhile, he scored 6 goals in 84 matches for the Brazilian national team (retired from international football in 2006 after the World Cup in Germany).

Then, Ze Roberto played for Hamburger SV, Al-Gharafa and Gremio. Since 22nd December 2014 he has been a part of one of the biggest Brazilian clubs – Palmeiras. His latest success is winning the Brazilian Cup in 2015. But, now Ze Roberto and his teammates are about to win Campeonato Brasileiro, as they are lying in 1st position in the standings after 28 rounds. The former Brazilian international player has announced that he will retire from professional football after the end of the season.

What is the secret of Ze Roberto’s success? He has recently said that he has never drunk alcohol. Another reason for his long lasting career is a special diet he has kept during all these years. Moreover, he retired from international football 10 years ago, which also affected positively his club career.