When King Carlos held court

“Did Real actually play?” the Brazilian asked rhetorically at a press conference here on Monday. Carlos rubbed salt into his beloved Real’s wound by saying Rafael Benitez’s team “hardly saw the ball.”

“It happens in football. I particularly remember a 3-0 loss we suffered against Barca during my time with Real,” said the affable man who made the left-back position his own in Real as well as the Brazilian national team for more than a decade.

Carlos hastened to add that Barca’s emphatic victory on Saturday doesn’t make them the best team. “In Iniesta, Messi, Neymar and Suarez, they have top-class players,” he said, conveniently forgetting the fact that only great players make a great team.

Carlos couldn’t resist a chance to talk up his compatriot, Neymar. “He is the best in the world at the moment. Messi and Ronaldo are still at their peak but I would still prefer Neymar. I’m not saying so because Neymar is my friend and countryman. He has been amazing this season,” he added.

The World Cup winner didn’t fail to have a go at Argentine great Diego Maradona, replying to a question on the transition of player to manager. “There is no guarantee that a great player can become a great manager. The primary example is Maradona. I can also add del Bosque and Mourinho to the list. One of my motivations now is to prove that I’m equally good at coaching,” he said.