The birth of Michael Owen, the red card David Beckham retaliated against Simone, Argentina's creative free kick, the penalty missed by Ince and Bart ... There are too many legends to be remembered by fans, but not many people remember the greatest hero of Argentina in the penalty shootout, and what was the name of that goalkeeper.

His name is Carlos Roya. He is not famous, not because he is weak or short-lived, but because he believed in the end of the world before Real Madrid and Manchester United invited him.

Come on, let's walk into this "legendary" story.

A serious illness changed his life.

Roa can be said to be a teenager.

/kloc-at the age of 0/9, he was promoted to the first team of Atletico Argentina and soon got the chance to make his debut. The South American goalkeeper's innate flexibility and his "European" figure exceeding 1.9 meters made this talented young goalkeeper become the main force of the team in just one season and became a supernova rising in Ran Ran in the Argentine League.

There are many South American supernovae that shine with self-discipline and finally fall. Do you think the same is true of Roa?

No, it's not. Even the opposite.

During the period when Roa just became famous, one thing completely changed his life.

In his early twenties, he went to Congo with Atletico Argentina and participated in an international football invitational tournament. This kind of competition, you know, the commercial value is far greater than the competitive function. There is nothing to say in the game. The point is that Roa was infected with malaria during his stay in Congo.

Under the careful care of a local Protestant hospital, Roya, who was once seriously ill, recovered quickly. The painful experience during his illness gave him a new understanding of life. By the time he left the hospital, the young Argentine goalkeeper had become a devout Protestant because of gratitude and listening.

The point is, piety is the ultimate.

After returning to Argentina, Roya stayed away from alcohol and tobacco, became a vegetarian who refused to eat meat, and never even quarreled with anyone again. His teammates nicknamed him "lettuce". He wanted to retire directly to work in the church, but he stayed because he found another way to serve.

This service model is called: coaching others in the team.

No matter training or competition, he will take a Bible to the club. When he sees any teammates who are in trouble, he will take the initiative to enlighten them and persuade them to join the church. Soon, Roa also found a key target among his teammates: Gonzalez, the second goalkeeper who played for him.

What kind of person is Gonzalez? Typical South American prodigal son, free and easy, lazy and even sloppy. He often sleeps happily until late, and comes to train in the morning without brushing his teeth, washing his face and shaving. Roa couldn't stand it anymore and decided to help him "return to the right path".

However, Gonzalez was extremely disgusted with such persuasion. For the first time, he said, "It's none of your business." The second time, he replied, "What do you believe in is your freedom? I don't believe in my freedom."

The third time, Gonzalez directly replied: "You call this religion? This is opium that poisons people! "

This competitive club is troubled by the contradiction between two goalkeepers. After a long struggle, they made a difficult choice: sell Roa.

Wait, why sell the main goalkeeper instead?

Rumor has it that this is because many senior members of the competition team are closely related to a nearby Catholic church. And the complicated relationship between Catholicism and Protestantism ... I know everything.

It was the peak when I first arrived in Europe.

Roya's next stop was the then dark horse team Lanus, and the head coach waiting for him in Lanus was his Bole: Cooper.

Cooper has a characteristic. He only talks about the state and doesn't respect it. His nickname is "cold and handsome". Because of this, he didn't like those arrogant superstars throughout his coaching career, preferring low-key strength.

Roa, who is extremely self-disciplined, undoubtedly meets his standards perfectly.

As for Roa's beliefs, Cooper commented at the time: "Whether it is religion or personal hobbies, it is the player's own business. As long as it does not affect the performance of the competition, it has nothing to do with me. "

The facts also verified Tie Shuai's words.

-Roa played a dominant role in Lanus, helping the team become a strong contender for the league title and won a continental cup in South America.

-Argentine national team coach Passareira is fed up with the strong character of most goalkeepers in South America and wants to find a modest and stable new country. So Roa 1997 was selected for the first time in the national team and entered the main force almost immediately.

-Also in 1997, Cooper embarked on the road of European football and took over the coach of La Liga team Mallorca. His first transfer was to bring Loa to Europe.

In the next two years, Roa reached the peak of his career.

In the 97-98 season, Cooper and Roya helped Mallorca reach the final of the King's Cup as newly promoted, but unfortunately they lost to Barcelona in the penalty shootout.

1In the summer of 998, he participated in the World Cup as the main goalkeeper of Argentina. France didn't score in three group matches in the summer, and the British-Arab war saved two penalties to become the winner. Finally, it was defeated by Bergkamp in the final of 1/4.

1998-99 season, Mallorca won the Spanish Super Cup revenge Barcelona, qualified for the Champions League in La Liga after Real Madrid Barcelona, and also won the European Cup Winners Cup final all the way, losing to Lazio. That season, Roya lost 1 ball every 106 minutes on average, and was officially selected as Zamora Award (best goalkeeper) by La Liga. He also stole the UEFA goalkeeper of the year from Juventus goalkeeper Peruzzi, who has kept it for two years.

Everyone thinks that Roya has become one of the top goalkeepers in the world. It is said that Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Juventus, Milan and many other giants are waving checks to sign him.

However, he waved and said, "I'm sorry, I'm retiring."

"Actually, I don't like football."

1999 Summer, Roya was only 30 years old. For a goalkeeper, the retirement age is still far away.

The reason why he really retired comes from his religious belief. But this time, it is not because of Protestantism.

During his stay in Mallorca, Roaga joined a new Sect: Seventh-day Adventists. It is said that it is because of a priest who is closely related to the club. This is a controversial sect and even regarded as a heresy by some religious people.

There are many special places in this sect.

For example, they observe the seventh day of the week (Saturday) set by God in Genesis as the Sabbath, and they must rest on this day. So Roa refused to participate in any Saturday training and any competition in the late season of 1998-99, and concentrated on praying. Although Mallorca was very helpless, it decided to agree to the star's special request.

For another example, they think that at the end of the world, Christ will definitely appear, come to earth, take saints to heaven to build a new world, and the earth will be desolate for a whole thousand years without life. However, the exact end time is still uncertain.

1999, most believers in this Sect believe that the end of the world will come in a year. After all, from the perspective of mathematics and metaphysics, the Millennium is really special.

This is what Roa understands. So, in the summer of 1999, he refused the invitation of many giants, resolutely retired and began to live in seclusion, hoping to spend his last time with his family.

It has been 20 years since 2000, and it is obvious that the end of the world has not come. Do you think Roa will regret his decision to retire?

At least in an interview with the media later, he said that he never regretted it.

Roa: "Money is not everything in life. I will not sell God for $7 million, nor will I sell God for $6.5438+million. "

Roya: "I rejected not only Real Madrid, but also two other giants. In this materialistic age, money is everything. I can't criticize those who want a better life and are eager to have everything, but I have the opportunity to make a choice. "

Roa: "I play football because of God's arrangement, but I never like football. I don't usually watch games at all. I just want to move to a quiet place, grow some fruits and vegetables, help my neighbors and be with my family and friends. "

However, the reality is not as smooth as Roa thought.

Because the end of the century didn't come, Mallorca's contract was still on his back, and a year later he returned to the team voluntarily and reluctantly. However, the long-term sparse training and the principle of not working on Saturday made him never regain his original bravery.

In 2002, Roya left Mallorca to join Serie B team albacete. Just recovered, testicular cancer was diagnosed in 2004.

This is a great blow to Roa, which has always been known as a "healthy life". After a year of chemotherapy and rehabilitation after the operation, he returned to his native team, olimpo, and ended his career as a player.

Looking back on Roa's experience, do you feel lucky or unlucky?

On the whole, his choice lost an excellent chance to become famous. But if a fish is not a child, he knows the happiness of the fish. Who can say that this will not find inner peace?

"I have got everything I want-silence and communication with God. No matter how many successes and regrets have happened in the past, I can't expect more. "