Roberto Carlos: the all-action man who would never ask for time off

If one thing shines from Roberto Carlos, on and off the football pitches he has graced these last five trophy-laden years with Real Madrid, it is a sense of joy. Allied to an equally strong sense of humour, and one of the best left feet in the game, not to mention an athleticism that is taken for granted, it has helped turn him and his teams into winners who are respected and loved in equal proportions.

At the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, he has become a legend as much for his ability to smile at his own, sometimes extravagant, mistakes as for his coruscating shooting power and endless stamina. His smile, like his football, is admired.

In Japan, it was the same. Indeed, while Bayer Leverkusen's clutch of German internationals, beaten by Madrid in the Champions' League final in Glasgow, were succumbing to Brazil in the World Cup final in Yokohama, it was almost overlooked by some commentators that the Latin American left-back was on his way to completing a rare set of happy honours: European Cup and World Cup in the same season. Not, however, by his club manager, Vicente Del Bosque, or his old friend, the former Real Madrid and now Roma coach Fabio Capello.

"Roberto Carlos is something very special," said Del Bosque, the man handed the task of integrating another Brazilian, Ronaldo, into a team who already boast Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Raul. "He is not somebody normal. He is an abnormal footballer in his way. He is a player with an amazing physical talent, who is also very good, and admired by the media and all the other players. He is capable of doing things the others cannot do in terms of his physical condition, and his work rate is exceptional.

"If we had competitions for this, he would always be the winner. He can do more and play more than the others. Sometimes he needs a rest, of course, but he wants to play all the time. He is athletic and motivated and very happy all the time. I have not known any other player like him and we are glad to have him at Madrid. He plays at a very high level. People come to the Bernabeu to see him and they talk about him. He is a very special kind of person and player."

Capello, whose Roma entertain the defending European champions at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday, agreed. He could hardly do otherwise, given his admiration for the human thunderbolt. "He is one of the best players in the world, an exceptional athlete and footballer," he said. "But he is not all there is to Real Madrid. There is much, much more than just him and we know this is going to be a very difficult game. But we can win it."

Last year, in a fixture made controversial and extraordinary because it went ahead on the evening of 11 September, Madrid won and embarked on a Champions' League campaign that carried them to Hampden Park and their record ninth title.

This time, they fly to Italy with Ronaldo added to their squad and many pundits suggesting a repeat triumph is now a foregone conclusion. Roberto Carlos smiles, then winces at the suggestion. "No," he said. "Anything can happen in football. This is a very big match, and Roma want to win to gain some revenge. We will need to be at our best and we will need some luck. And, please, don't expect anything special. We will play to win, but may not be at our best yet."

In a team who regard attack as the only form of defence, Carlos has been criticised for his flamboyant approach to the game that has left Fernando Hierro and Ivan Helguera exposed frequently by counterattacking opponents. He is not worried because he knows, as do Del Bosque and the Madrid supporters, that their entertaining style is both expected and appreciated.

Hence, they forgive him for a swerving 40-yard shot that hits a corner flag so long as he plays the right kind of glory game. "We play, still, for the love of the game, to show skills and to have fun," he said. "We want to show the people how beautiful our football can be. I want to play like this every day."

"Yes, we attack," said Del Bosque. "But we know we have a responsibility to defend as well. We play to win. To win, and to entertain. So sometimes we are not defending as much as we could, or should."

With Ronaldo expected to join the cast of Madrid's European show-team, Carlos warned against heightened expectation. "He is only a footballer and a human being," he said. "He is not Superman. Do not think he will do anything more than play and do his best. Too often, people think he is a brand, an image or a commodity. But he is just a man playing football. He loves to play and if he is left alone to do that, and to be fit, he will be able to show his greatness again."

Like his friend Roberto Carlos, with whom he shared a room at the 1998 World Cup finals, when he suffered a seizure shortly before the Paris final against hosts France, Ronaldo plays best with a smile in a system geared to attack. It worked successfully for Brazil in the Far East. Now, the Madrileños hope, it will work successfully again in Europe as they embark on a campaign geared for a 10th Champions' Cup success at, of all places, Old Trafford next May.