Brazil legend Roberto Carlos almost joined Major League Soccer but just 'couldn't swap Real Madrid'

The World Cup winner admitted to CBS Sports that he just couldn't give up what he had in Spain

By Chuck Booth

Jun 22, 2023 at 12:39 pm ET • 1 min read

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Brazillian soccer legend Roberto Carlos may be most well known for his time with the national team and at Real Madrid where he won La Liga four times and the Champions League three times, but there was a time when the 2002 World Cup winner almost ended up in Major League Soccer.

In an interview with CBS Sports analyst Nico Cantor on Morning Footy, Carlos revealed how he almost ended up in the league at a time when it wasn't as popular as it is now.

"Many years ago, yes many years ago. But I couldn't swap Real Madrid back then for football in the United States," Carlos said. "I was still too young and I made my whole life in Spain. But whenever I can, I watch a lot of MLS games here. Not only football, NBA, and NFL anyway, I see a little bit of everything here, football, sport in this country. It is great."

"Many years ago... but I couldn't swap Real Madrid, back then."

Roberto Carlos tells @Nicocantor1 of the time he almost moved to the MLS. 👀 pic.twitter.com/xraClpOeiq
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 22, 2023

With Lionel Messi coming to MLS, it could help change the perception for stars like Carlos in the future but it's clear that American soccer is making an impact globally especially with games being more accessible than ever and the appetite for soccer has been rising by the second. In a league that focuses on attacking stars, someone like Carlos could've changed that by showing the value of top defenders. Ashley Cole and Giorgio Chiellini are a few top defenders who have made the jump stateside but others could follow in the future.

Carlos and other global soccer stars will be taking part in The Beautiful Game, a celebration of soccer at Exploria Stadium in Orlando on June 23. There you can see Carlos, Ronaldinho, Carlos Valderrama, Rafa Marquez and other giants of the game take part in the match. Current players like Paulo Dybala, Vinicius Junior, Eder Militao and Willian will also take part.