[03.06.97] France: Brazil 1:1 - Roberto Carlos

Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos amassed 125 caps, scoring 11 goals for the Brazilian national team. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he played seven matches, including the final loss to France. After a qualifying game for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Paraguay goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert spat on Roberto Carlos, an action which caused FIFA to give Chilavert a three-match suspension and forced him to watch the first game of the World Cup from the stands. Roberto Carlos also played seven matches in the finals, scoring a goal from a free kick against China. He also was a starter in the final against Germany, with Brazil winning 2-0.

He is especially famous for a free kick against France on June 3, 1997, where he shot from 35 m (110 ft) from the centre-right channel, and scored. The ball spun so much that the ballboy 10 yards to the right ducked instinctively, thinking that the ball would hit him. Instead, it eventually curled back on target.

After the elimination by France in the quarterfinal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, he announced his retirement from international football. Against France, he was widely criticised for fixing his socks during a Zinedine Zidane free kick which resulted in a goal from Thierry Henry.