Diego Carlos: The Strength, the Softness, the Story

Diego Carlos is thirty two years old and has already lived several football lives. From Brazil to Portugal to France with Nantes then to Sevilla where he lifted the Europa League and into the Premier League and now to Como on loan bringing with him Olympic gold and almost three hundred senior games at the top level. 

His path has not been a rush. It has been a climb. Hard leagues. Big pressure. Nights in Europe that end with medals and with tattoos to remember them. He talks about his career like a worker talks about his trade. Proud but never loud. Como is another chapter. A project that asks for his experience and gives him something he values just as much. Space. Nature. Time with his family.

Ask him what people would never guess and he starts at home.
“Well what I am good at, that no one would imagine, I am good at many things actually. I am very helpful at home. I like being with the children. I help my wife a lot. I make a good barbecue. I am also good at fighting. I like boxing. I think I am good at several things that people would not expect.”

His idea of a good day off says a lot about where he comes from and where he is now.
“On my day off I prefer to go out to eat. I always look for a Brazilian steakhouse because if it is a free day I can eat well and enjoy a barbecue which is part of my culture. But I also love Italian food. Pizza and pasta are incredible. I would eat Italian food every day if I could.”

There is a strong routine behind the calm.
“My routine is to thank God when I wake up and when I am in the locker room. I am not someone who makes many gestures. I think in silence. When I enter the field I touch the grass and raise my hand to the sky to give thanks. For myself, for my team, for my opponents so no one gets hurt.”

Away from the pitch his faith plays a huge part
“I watch Christian series. I finished one called Genesis. Now I started one called Job. I also love The Chosen. It taught me a lot about God and about the disciples. In the morning on my way to training I listen to the Bible app. I learn a little every day.” He has lived what a serious injury can do to your head and to your house. When he speaks about the Achilles problem the defender describes the toll it took.

“The hardest moment was being away from my children. My oldest son wanted to play football. My youngest wanted me to move around the house. My daughter too. But I could not move. I was operated on. Later I missed football so much. It bothered me not to train, not to play. Those were the hardest things.”

Asked to choose one tattoo and tell the story behind it he asks to tell two because they carry the same weight in his career.
“I have many tattoos. I will tell the story of two because they are the most significant in my life as a football player. My first tattoo with a title was the Europa League and the cool thing is that I even have a small drawing of a person doing a bicycle kick which was the play that gave us the victory at that time for Sevilla. Everytime I look at it, everything about that game comes flooding back. It was very significant for me.

“And right after that I also got a tattoo when I won the Olympics. It was very important because I did not have any idea what that medal was like. When I held that medal in my hand it was heavy and beautiful. Then seeing my whole city celebrating the title that was when I got the tattoo and it became significant because we lived for days in that hotel during the pandemic. That was not easy but thanks to the goodness of God we came out victorious.”

His view of football has shifted from teenager to veteran.

“At fifteen football was fun. We played with joy without pressure. Winning or losing did not feel like an obligation. Today at thirty two everything is different. Every day there is pressure. You must focus and dedicate yourself. The fun becomes professionalism. Diet and rest and recovery. Everything matters. The mind must be one hundred percent.”

After matches he does not look for praise but truth.

“My brother is the first person I call. He watches every game from Brazil. He tells me the plays I did well and the plays I did poorly. He is always honest.”

His heroes remain the legends of his childhood.

“Pelé was always a reference. Kaká was unbelievable. Ronaldinho with his magic. Ronaldo Fenômeno. Those were my idols.”

From other sports he goes back to the fight game.

“I like Mike Tyson for his grit and for the energy he brought to fights. And Popo from Brazil for his humility and achievements.”

If he were not a footballer his life would still be grounded in simple physical work.

“I think I would be a farmer. I like animals and rural life. My parents were farmers. Maybe a boxer if I could train. But a farmer fits me.”

Which is maybe why Como feels natural.

“What I like most here is being close to the lake. It is enchanting and beautiful. I go for walks. I stay close to my family. I walk my dog. The people are very nice and very warm. Everywhere we go we are welcomed. That makes us love Como more every day. The lake is incredible.

”The picture that emerges is direct. A defender with big game experience. A parent who builds his days around his children. A professional who treats the job as craft not drama. For Como he brings that mix of weight and balance. For him Como offers a pitch and a city that line up neatly with the way he now chooses to live.