Roberto Carlos' interview to Portugal's Canal 11 will go down in history as one of the most controversial and juicy ones of all time.
Discussing his time with the team known as Los Galácticos, Roberto Carlos left no stone unturned when sharing details on how that Real Madrid team got along, how they demanded to have wine and beer during the days before a game, and how they managed to get two coaches fired for not letting a team full of stars do whatever they wanted.
"I really miss the days leading to a game, the pre-match talk, and the environment in the dressing room before a game. That's why I try to do the same stuff when we go on tour with the guys to play exhibition games," the former left back said.
The Brazilian international looked back at his days with Los Galácticos, where those seven superstars did whatever they wanted...even if that meant forcing a coach's dismissal.
"That locker room was dangerous. We always had a good time, and we got along just fine, except with (José Antonio) Camacho, who lasted ten days only as our coach. He came in to say hi to everyone without a smile on his face, and then, he'd say: 'I want everyone here tomorrow at 7:00 in the morning', when we used to train at 10:30! We tried to talk to him because we were used to certain things, but he refused," Roberto Carlos said.
The former footballer shared details on how one of his compatriots, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, suffered a similar fate.
"It was more of the same. In the second game of the league, we used to leave our stuff in the room, and before we had dinner, we used to have a glass of wine or beer. I remember a conversation between him, Ronaldo and me, where we told him: 'Mister, people here are used to these sort of things, try not to change that. Don't take the wine or beer away from us, because it will get you in trouble. He ignored us and he prohibited wine or beer from the dining table next week. He only lasted three months in charge," the left back added.
The former A Canarinha ace compared what Camacho and Luxemburgo did to how Vicente del Bosque handled himself inside the locker room, trying to be closer to his players rather than just barking orders at them.
"He was more like a friend. When you're a player you don't need rules. The player knows what he has to do, and he understood that completely. He used to program our training sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays at 17:00, because he knew that no one would show up at 11:00," the retired player said.
Last, but not least, Roberto Carlos admitted that being part of that team was ludicrous, especially when all games came to an end.
"When the games ended, it was all private jets. We ran into each other at the private terminal in Barajas Airport. You saw Beckham going somewhere, Figo and Zidane going somewhere else, Ronaldo and myself taking another plane, and we had to be back in two days! I prayed for the games to be on Saturday, so I could go and watch Formula One races live. It was madness! Sometimes I look back and think how we were able to walk away with all that nonsense?" Roberto Carlos concluded.
