Roberto Carlos reveals three Premier League clubs he almost joined in the 90s
Roberto Carlos has revealed that he came extremely close to playing in the Premier League, with three clubs interested in signing the iconic Brazilian footballer.
Carlos is arguably the best left-back in history, making over 100 appearances for Brazil and winning the World Cup in 2002. He also played 527 times for Real Madrid, winning three Champions League trophies.
And the 48-year-old has revealed he had offers from Aston Villa, Birmingham City, and Chelsea, who all wanted to bring him to the Premier League.
He told the Mirror: “I was very young with Aston Villa, I was very young with Birmingham City and then with Chelsea, the only thing I didn’t do was sign a contract.
“I was already playing with the Brazil team by then, it was around 93 or 94, I was not that young. I could have gone to England at the time but the coaches said I was too young.
He was great fun on how he nearly joined Chelsea, how Villa and Birmingham tried to sign him. And his admiration for free kick specialist James Ward-Prowse. “I like Ward-Prowse very much, he seems to train properly and is very good at set pieces.”
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“The one who took the decision at the time was Peter Kenyon at Chelsea. There were some details in the contract that he did not like. In any case, nor did I. But just to have the interest from Chelsea was an honour, I spoke to Abramovich at the time. But I did not want to dispute the position with Ashley Cole!
"I would have liked to have played in England but I didn’t have any regrets. I played for Real Madrid, who are the best club in the world. Now that I can’t play in the Premier League, I at least watch every match on television.”
Carlos also backed FIFA's plans for a biannual World Cup, and added: "Players now get injured too much, they travel too much and games get played outside of the right season like the African Cup of Nations, for example.
“I understand the interests but the players are tired. It’s unfair on the players. We have to analyse as much as possible. FIFA and UEFA have to come to sort of agreement over what is best for the players.
“It gives other countries the chance to participate and it gives players the pride of having played in a World Cup and playing more often can give players the chance to play in eight or ten World Cups perhaps.”