Roberto Carlos's wife denies reports of his conversion to Islam

Suheyla Tahiri, the wife of Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos, has rejected social media reports that the former player converted to Islam, calling the claims baseless. Tahiri, a Spanish-born businesswoman and football agent, issued the statement in response to recent posts alleging that Carlos had recited the shahada during a meeting with Sheikh Jihad Hemade. Carlos, a former Real Madrid and Brazil national team defender, said he has great respect for Islam but that the reports about his conversion were untrue. The couple said their wedding ceremony was held in multiple formats to accommodate different religious beliefs among family members, which they suggested may have fueled the rumors. Tahiri stressed that her husband had made no public statement about embracing Islam and denied any narrative linking Sheikh Hemade to a hospital visit or Quran recitation involving Carlos. Tahiri added that respecting another religion or culture does not equate to adopting it, and called for an end to speculation about the couple's private life. The denials follow a statement by Turkish lawmaker Ali Şahin on August 17, 2026, in which he claimed Carlos had converted to Islam about four weeks earlier, citing Sheikh Hemade — identified as vice president and religious advisor of the Brazilian National Union of Muslim Scholars — as the source of the information.