Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has broken his silence over claims that he converted to Islam after marrying Moroccan sports agent and businesswoman Souhaila Ettahiri, denying reports that spread widely following the couple’s wedding.
The former Real Madrid and Brazil defender addressed the reports in comments to Saudi newspaper Okaz on Wednesday, August 19, after reports about his alleged conversion circulated through Turkish media and gained traction on social media.
“I have the utmost respect for Islam, and it is wonderful to see my wife praying, but the circulating rumors about my conversion to Islam are not true,” Carlos told Okaz.
Why Roberto Carlos was rumored to have converted to Islam
The conversion claims did not emerge solely from the wedding.
Reports circulated that Carlos had recited the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, about four weeks earlier during a meeting with Sheikh Jihad Hamada, who is involved with Brazil’s Muslim community.
The claims gained further attention after Ali Şahin, a Turkish lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AK Party, discussed Carlos during a meeting with representatives of Brazil’s Muslim community.
Şahin said Hamada had told him that Carlos had previously been in contact with him before visiting and reciting the Shahada.
Roberto Carlos explains the Muslim and Catholic elements of his wedding
Images and videos from Carlos and Ettahiri’s wedding added another layer to the speculation.
Some of the material circulating online appeared to show elements associated with an Islamic wedding ceremony, prompting further questions about whether the Brazilian football icon had changed his religion before or after marrying Ettahiri.
Carlos said the wedding incorporated different ceremonies to reflect the religious traditions of both families. Members of his family are Catholic, while Ettahiri and some of her friends are Muslim.
The different elements of the celebrations, he explained, were therefore intended to accommodate both sides rather than signal a change in his own faith.
Read also : Who is Souhaila Ettahiri, the Moroccan businesswoman who recently married Roberto Carlos?
Who is Roberto Carlos’ Moroccan wife, Souhaila Ettahiri?
The intense interest surrounding the conversion reports has also put a spotlight on Ettahiri, who built a career in football and sports management before her relationship with Carlos became widely known.
Born to a Moroccan father and Lebanese mother, Ettahiri is a businesswoman whose professional activities have included football development, player career management and sports consulting.
She previously served as international relations director at Next Investment, a company operating in Spain, the United Arab Emirates and Burkina Faso, working on sports cooperation projects involving institutions in several African countries.
Her professional experience has also extended to football talent development and initiatives connected with Moroccan approaches to developing young players, including the Mohammed VI Football Academy.
Carlos said he met Ettahiri through football rather than through their personal lives.
The pair first crossed paths during a football-related business meeting, according to the former Brazil international, who described his wife as a successful businesswoman.
Carlos said they have now been together for around two years, with their relationship spanning both their personal and professional lives.
