Zé Roberto, Brazilian player especially known for his stints at Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, and Palmeiras, joined Real Madrid in January 1997, in a season where he contributed to the LaLiga 1996/97 and shortly later to the Champions League 1997/98, but left after only a few months because of limited play opportunities in the squad and his ambition to play internationally with Brazil.
Roberto, now 51 (he retired from football in 2017 at the age of 43) has confessed in an interview that back then he was addicted to video games, especially Crash Bandicoot, and he used to stay up all night trying to beat it... "I failed at Real Madrid because when I arrived I wasn't ready. I signed for one of the biggest clubs in the world without being prepared psychologically or tactically" he admitted.
"I bought a PlayStation and played until the early hours of the morning, obsessed with beating Crash Bandicoot. My video game addiction affected my performance. I also ate poorly and got very little rest. I ate a lot of cookies; I'd finish one box and start another. Before I knew it, I'd gained weight," the former Brazilian player revealed in an interview with Abre Aspas, in Globo Esporte.
Roberto also explained how strange he felt at a team like Real Madrid, filled with stars, the early 'Galácticos' era: "When I arrived at the locker room, the first thing I saw were luxury cars. Inside, I saw my teammates in expensive clothes and suits, while I was wearing simple clothes. I remember Roberto Carlos always joking that I looked like I had come to paint the locker room."
However, he underwent a big physical and also psychological change, which explains his extraordinarily long professional career. "I realized that my body was my tool of the trade. I began to treat it like a machine that needs daily maintenance. This prolonged my career."