Now it's official. Roberto Carlos will retire from international football. He made the announcement yesterday and assured the Brazilian fans that his decision is irrevocable. The Real Madrid winger is the 2nd Brazilian player to announce retirement after Juninho took that decision immediately after the World Cup.

"With me, a return is not possible. Brazil can now count on the likes of Marcelo and Gilberto and they are both very good players. Now, the days off are precious to me. I've played for Brazil for 15 years, we've lost 16 games and I've been world champion. Now I just want to concentrate on Real Madrid. My family's been missing me a lot since the World Cup", stated Carlos.

The 33-year old Brazilian faced immense criticism in his home country after the Cariocas squad failed to reach the higher stages of the World Cup. Brazil lost to France in the quarterfinal but, more than that, looked like a disoriented and poor team. Although the fans' expectations were pretty high, Brazil disappointed everyone.

More, Roberto Carlos is no longer part of Carlos Dunga's plans for the future. The new Brazilian coach started his Copa America campaign with a few European preparation games. He mostly bet on younger players and the results came accordingly: 1-1 draw against Norway, 3-0 win over Argentina and 2-0 over Wales.

Roberto Carlos has been linked with moves to Turkish club Fenerbahce and Premiership champions Chelsea, but he decided to stay with Real Madrid and probably end his career on Santiago Bernabeu.