Souhaila El Tahri, the Spanish-Moroccan wife of former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos, has rejected reports that her husband has converted to Islam.
The claims, reported by the Turkish press, suggested that Roberto Carlos had embraced the religion in connection with his marriage to El Tahri, who is Spanish and of Moroccan origin.
According to those reports, the alleged conversion took place about four weeks ago. They said the 2002 World Cup winner had recited the profession of faith during a meeting with Sheikh Jihad Hamada, described as one of the leading figures in Brazil’s Muslim community.
Roberto Carlos, however, has denied the reports. The former left-back addressed the story during an interview with the Saudi media outlet Okaz.
His response was followed by a further denial from El Tahri, who was questioned about the allegations by Le360 Sport.
She also dismissed any suggestion that the footballing champion had become Muslim, putting an end to the claims that had attracted attention in the Turkish media and on social networks.
The story centred on the reported meeting with Sheikh Jihad Hamada and the claim that Roberto Carlos had recited the profession of faith. No confirmation of such a conversion was provided, while both the former player and his wife have rejected the reports.
Roberto Carlos is widely recognised for his career with Brazil and Real Madrid, where he established himself as one of the most celebrated attacking full-backs in football. His international career included Brazil’s 2002 World Cup triumph, the achievement referenced in reports about the allegation.
El Tahri’s response came after her husband had already spoken publicly through Okaz. Her comments to Le360 Sport therefore reinforced the denial from the former Brazil international and contradicted the account carried by the Turkish press.
The reports had linked the alleged change of religion to Roberto Carlos’s marriage to El Tahri, but the couple’s public responses have rejected that account. There is no further information in the report about the meeting beyond the claim that it involved Sheikh Jihad Hamada, a prominent member of Brazil’s Muslim community.
The reaction from El Tahri means that both sides of the couple have now denied the central allegation: that Roberto Carlos converted to Islam around four weeks earlier after reciting the profession of faith.
The former defender’s name became associated with the story because of his status as a Brazil and Real Madrid legend, while El Tahri was identified in the reports as his Spanish-Moroccan wife. Despite the attention generated by the claim, neither has supported the suggestion that Roberto Carlos has converted.
