Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos undergoes heart surgery after medical check-up in Brazil

JAKARTA - Real Madrid and Brazil National Team (National Team) legend, Roberto Carlos, was examined at the hospital due to a blood clot in his leg. Doctors detected a heart abnormality that required surgery.

Carlos then underwent surgery at a hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after medical tests revealed heart problems.

Launching Marca on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, the 52-year-old former footballer, whose condition is safe, will remain under observation for several more hours as a precaution.

The initial reason for his visit to the hospital was not related to his heart. Roberto Carlos went for a blood clot detected in his leg as part of a routine medical examination.

After performing an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and other tests, doctors detected that most of his heart was not functioning properly, which led to the decision to immediately perform surgery.

The operation, which was initially planned to last around 40 minutes, lasted almost three hours due to complications that arose during a catheter insertion procedure to help correct a heart problem.

Nevertheless, the procedure was successful. The former footballer is in stable condition in the treatment room, under full supervision.

While waiting for further medical developments, Carlos' relatives expressed calm and stressed that it was only a minor incident although doctors had decided to keep him under observation for at least 48 hours to ensure that his recovery was going well and that no further complications arose.