Ex-Flamengo player: Sex and gaming addiction hurt my career start

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Coluna do Fla

·13 mars 2026

Ex-Flamengo player: Sex and gaming addiction hurt my career start

With stints at Real Madrid (ESP), the Brazilian National Team, and Flamengo, Zé Roberto made a curious revelation

Zé Roberto had a successful and title-filled career, even earning a call-up for the 2006 World Cup. However, the beginning of his journey was hindered by two addictions: video games and sex. The former Bayern (GER) and Real Madrid (ESP) player, who also played for Flamengo in 1998, made this curious revelation in an interview with GE.

— I was young, newly married, bought a PlayStation. I would play until dawn, eat poorly, sleep little. I lost performance, gained weight. It was the only time I was out of my ideal physical shape. It was very difficult. The video game really got in my way because I was just a kid, 21 years old. My wife was also very young, 18 turning 19. One of my dreams, besides being a footballer and buying a car, was to have a PlayStation — Zé Roberto recounted.

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— Newly married, I was like a rooster. I would make out all day and, at night, play video games. I would go to training with dark circles under my eyes. Imagine: the guy having sex all day and, at night, losing sleep playing video games. The video game caused me a lot of stress. I wanted to beat the game and couldn’t. Then I’d get hungry in the middle of the night, and I’d eat a lot of cookies. I’d go to eat one, and end up finishing the whole box. Then came snacks, soda… I ended up overweight without realizing it. And stressed out because of the game. This is something that takes away the concentration and focus of many athletes today — added the former midfielder.

DID ZÉ ROBERTO’S ADDICTION TAKE HIM TO FLAMENGO?

A standout at Portuguesa between 1994 and 1996, Zé Roberto caught the attention of Real Madrid, who signed him for the 1996/97 season. However, as the former player himself highlighted, his time at the Spanish club was not successful, due to his addictions.

So, Real Madrid decided to loan Zé Roberto to Flamengo. In 1998, the midfielder landed at Gávea, but didn’t leave much of an impression, with only 23 games and no goals scored. After Mengão, the Brazilian went to Germany, where he made his breakthrough in football. First at Bayer Leverkusen (GER) and then at Bayern, where he became an idol.

WHICH ZÉ ROBERTO IS THIS, AFTER ALL?

Don’t get confused, fans! The Zé Roberto in question is the former left-footed midfielder who played for Flamengo almost 30 years ago. Another Zé Roberto also played for the club and made history in 2009, being one of the pillars of the team that won the sixth Brazilian championship. In a recent interview on the podcast ‘Mundo GV’, the ‘more recent’ Zé said that his ‘addiction’ was something else, which even earned him the nickname ‘Zé Boteco’, something the former athlete admitted doesn’t bother him.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.