REAL MADRID
Fabio Capello reveals how Real Madrid signed Roberto Carlos
In an interview with FoxSport, the Italian coach explained how he managed to bring the Brazilian defender to the Bernabéu.
Roberto Carlos is arguably the best full back to ever have pulled on the white shirt of Real Madrid. The Brazilian arrived at the club at the hands of Italian coach Fabio Capello when he was at the helm in the summer of 1996 and from his first season he quickly became one of the Real Madrid greats. And according to his comments made to Fox Sports, the incorporation of the defender was one of the easiest and fastest in history.
Possibly the quickest signing in history
"I couldn't believe it," stated Capello referring to the fact that the player was to be sold, "I had received some reports saying that he [Carlos] was annoyed with his manager at Inter, Roy Hodgson.
“Shortly after I arrived at Real, an agent called me to say that Inter were selling Roberto Carlos. I sent a fax, spoke with the president and the next day the deal was done. It could have been the quickest signing in history," joked the Italian.
Immediate success
And that was that. Capello, Carlos and the rest of that squad went on to win the league that year but the coach was not to stay on any longer than that one season as he explained in the interview.
“My adventure at Madrid ended with a phone call from Berlusconi, who asked me to go back to Milan. I owed everything to him and couldn’t say ‘no’.”
Capello did end up returning to the Bernabéu dugout a few years later.