Legendary former Real Madrid full-back and Brazil international Roberto Carlos has signed for Shrewsbury-based pub team Bull in the Barne United, seven years after his retirement.
The 48-year-old hung up his boots in 2015 but he will play for the Shropshire side after they shelled out just £5 through eBay Dream Transfer.
The Real Madrid ambassador will take to the field for a substitute appearance in the Shrewsbury & District Sunday Football League.
The Brazilian is one of the most iconic footballers of all time and helped transform the full-back role after joining Los Blancos in 1996 following a brief stint at Italian giants Inter.
The left-back became a major goalscoring threat from the position with 128 goals across his distinguished senior career – with his long-range shooting becoming somewhat of a trademark.
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He is most well-known for his decade-long stint at Real Madrid, where he made 527 first-team appearances, scoring 69 goals, and winning a plethora of major trophies.
Roberto Carlos won 13 titles with the club including four La Liga crowns and three Champions League gongs across his distinguished stint.
He would go on to have stints at Fenerbahce, Corinthians, Anzhi Makhachkala and Delhi Dynamos, where he eventually hung up his boots in 2015 – aged 42.
Seven years on, he is now set to play for Bull In The Barne in February after the pub league side entered a 'dream transfer raffle' on eBay.
Striker and club secretary Matthew Brown explained to BBC Sport : "You pay £5 to enter the raffle for a chance to have a pro sign for your team. One of our lads said in a group chat 'let's just give it a go' and we ended up winning it.
"On Friday afternoon, our manager, Ed Speller, sent a message to say we won the competition and none of us believed him. We thought he was having us on.
"I went out on Friday night and woke up with a bit of a sore head on Saturday and I had messages from people saying 'is it true about Roberto Carlos?' and at that point I was thinking 'it can't have happened, it's just a dream'."
The move is a dream for all at the club, perhaps apart from Liam Turrall, who Brown describes as “the best left-back in Shropshire” but who may be forced to make way for the Brazilian’s appearance.
Eve Williams, chief marketing officer at eBay UK, said: "Bringing communities together who have a shared passion is what eBay’s marketplace is all about.
"We wanted to kick off 2022 in a big way to celebrate one of the UK's biggest collective passions - football - and to make it accessible to everyone - all while supporting Football Beyond Borders, a fantastic charity that does great work to help young people reach their full potential through sport."
After enjoying the luxuries of the San Siro and Santiago Bernabeu stadiums, Roberto Carlos is now going to have adapt to playing on his new side’s pitch next to Hanwood Village Hall.
