Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos has denied widespread reports that he converted to Islam, saying he has the "utmost respect” for the religion but that claims he embraced it following his marriage to Moroccan football agent Souhaila El Tahiri are untrue.
The 53-year-old former Real Madrid and Brazil star addressed the rumors in comments to Saudi newspaper Okaz after the claims spread rapidly across social media and news outlets in several countries.
The speculation gained momentum after photographs from Carlos’ wedding circulated online, with some posts portraying the ceremony as evidence that he had converted to Islam.
Other widely shared images were presented as showing Carlos wearing Islamic attire, although a fact-check by Lebanon’s Annahar found that one such image was AI-generated.
How the conversion claim spread
The rumors emerged earlier this week after Turkish media reported that Carlos had allegedly embraced Islam and recited the shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith, during a meeting with Sheikh Jihad Hammadeh in Sao Paulo.
The claim was amplified by Turkish lawmaker Ali Şahin, who said on Monday that he had met Hammadeh during a visit to representatives of Brazil’s Muslim community.
According to Şahin, the sheikh told him that Carlos had been in contact with him for some time, had visited him about four weeks earlier and had recited the shahada before embracing Islam. Şahin then publicly congratulated Carlos.
The allegation quickly moved beyond Turkish-language media, spreading through Arabic, English and other language communities.
Social media posts often removed the original attribution or presented the claim as established fact, making it difficult for readers to distinguish between a reported allegation and a confirmed statement from Carlos.
The story also gained traction because of Carlos’ long-standing connection to Turkish football.
The former left back played for Fenerbahçe after joining the Istanbul club in 2007 and later had coaching roles in Türkiye, including with Sivasspor and Akhisar Belediyespor.
Wedding images fuel speculation
The timing of the rumors was closely linked to Carlos’ marriage to El Tahiri, a Moroccan football agent and businesswoman.
News of their relationship and marriage had already emerged earlier in 2026, while photographs from a private wedding celebration later circulated widely online.
The ceremony included elements associated with Islamic and Moroccan traditions, including the presence of a Muslim religious figure and traditional attire.
Those images were quickly interpreted by some social media users as proof that Carlos had converted.
But the photographs did not establish a change in Carlos’ religion. A fact-check published by Annahar found no reliable evidence supporting claims attached to an image that allegedly showed Carlos in Islamic clothing and determined that the image had been generated using artificial intelligence.
The presence of an Islamic ceremony also did not, by itself, establish that Carlos had converted. Reports said the couple incorporated different traditions into their wedding to accommodate the religious backgrounds of their families and guests.
Carlos directly rejects the claims
Carlos has now directly addressed the speculation.
"I have the utmost respect for Islam and it’s wonderful to see my wife praying, but the rumors circulating about me converting to Islam are untrue,” Carlos said, according to Okaz and reports from Saudi Gazette and other outlets.
He also explained that the wedding celebrations were organized in different forms to respect the beliefs of both families.
Carlos said his Catholic family members were accommodated through ceremonies consistent with their beliefs, while ceremonies appropriate for his wife and her Muslim friends and relatives were also held.
His explanation directly challenges the interpretation that the Islamic elements of the wedding represented his own conversion.
Carlos further indicated that he respects different religions and has been learning about other faiths, while making clear that he had not converted to Islam.
He also suggested that if he ever made such a decision, he would announce it himself.