BORN: APR. 10, 1973  HEIGHT: 168 cm  WEIGHT: 79 kg COUNTRY: Brazil  CLUB: Real Madrid  1997 FIFA RANKING: 2

In the 50s, Brazil's Didi invented the Banana free-kick.  Forty years on, his fellow countryman Roberto Carlos now hits Boomerang free kicks. This summer, he comes back to France, the country where he scored an outrageous 40 yard strike.  Roberto scores many spectacular goals from free kicks but he has never scored any as good as that one.  Neither has anybody in the entire history of the game.  He can bend free-kicks like a boomerang and yet still maintain its verocious velocities.  Up to 130 km/hr!

Roberto Carlos also have great speed and (he can run 100 in LESS than 11 seconds).  Even speedsters like Gento and Cruyff became distant memories.   He plays wing-back but appears in the attacking position so often that you may think he is a winger. Although short in stature for a defender, he times his sliding tackles well.
 
 

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:   Any shots (free-kick and open play) anywhere up to 40 yards to goal, lightning runs down the left touch-line.

Special thanks to Tadayoshi Saito for his kind permission to use the original illustration above.
For similar pics, wallpapers and screensavers, please visit his web site UKI*UKI.

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