Roberto Carlos: "En Buyuk Fenerbahce!"

Roberto Carlos: "En Buyuk Fenerbahce!"

By Nathan L. Redd

As reported Tuesday evening, Roberto Carlos will indeed leave Real Madrid, after his agent reached a deal with Fenerbahce. Carlos spoke to FB TV on Tuesday and said he was very happy to be joining the Yellow Canaries this fall. He also won the hearts of Fener fans around the globe by saying "Fenerbahce, the Greatest!" and "Fenerbahce - Champions!" in Turkish.

Fenerbahce Vice-President Murat Ozaydinli was on FB TV, and said the club was thrilled with the signing. "We have acquired a player that lives up to the standards and traditions of Fenerbahce" said Ozaydinli. He went on to say “Everyone must be grateful to President Aziz Yildirim. In the past, we could not mention even the names of ordinary players. But today, we can even sign such legendary players without having any problems. For the last two years, Fenerbahce are being talked upon on all corners of the world and this was our main target.”

Unconfirmed reports indicate the deal also includes a possibility of joining Fenerbahce in a managerial role after Roberto's retirement from futbol. Dino Pasalic, Roberto Carlos's agent, said the deal was nearly complete last year and Carlos promised Fener that he would join them. "He made a promise to Fenerbahce last year and Carlos always keeps his promises," said Pasalic.

Carlos has been linked to Chelsea in recent months, and he indicated that he had received offers from other European clubs. "I had other offers from teams in Italy, England and other countries, but Fenerbahce want to grow as a club and I want to help them," he explained.
"They are the club who were most interested in signing me and I have been convinced of the plans which they want to develop. They have spoken with me a lot and what has been very important for me to take this decision is that Zico is their coach."

Carlos is due to arrive in Istanbul in the coming days to go through medical examinations and sign his paperwork. According to Ozaydinli, the deal was an easy one for Fener. "Our meeting about Roberto Carlos' transfer took only 15-20 minutes. We told them our principles and it was all over. Dino [Palasic] came to Turkey late at night, we had a meal together and the deal was sealed. This is about the power of Fenerbahce, this is about the synergy we created here at Fenerbahce."

Carlos leaves Madrid after a storied career of eleven seasons, during which he has won three Champions League trophies (98, 00, 02) and three La Liga titles (97, 01, 03). He also won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil and was capped 125 times over the span of his international career.

Stay tuned to Fenerbahce Worldwide and Fenerbahce.org for more on the arrival of Roberto Carlos.