Zé Roberto had a distraction that was hard to put on pause.
Looking back on his time at Real Madrid in an interview with Globo, the Brazilian said he had just gotten married and was “on top of the world”.
He spent his days with his partner, played video games at night and, whenever he got hungry, started with a cookie until he finished the whole box. Then he added snacks and soft drinks.
The change, he explained, came without him noticing: he began to gain weight and his performance suffered. He even trained with dark circles under his eyes, he said, and described that period as the only time he moved away from his ideal fitness level.
An intimate confession that raises a question: did newlywed life take its toll on him on the pitch?