Carlos Roa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carlos Ángel Roa (born August 15, 1969 in Santa Fe) is an Argentine football goalkeeper, currently playing for Argentine first division Olimpo de Bahía Blanca. Roa was nicknamed Lechuga (Lettuce) by his teammates because he follows a strict vegetarian diet.

[edit] Career

Season	Club	League
1988-1993	Racing Club	Primera División Argentina
1994-1997	Lanús	Primera División Argentina
1997-2002	Mallorca	Spanish Primera División
2002-2004	Albacete	Spanish 2nd División Spanish Primera División
2004-....	Olimpo	Primera B Nacional

Roa started playing for Racing Club de Avellaneda in 1988, where he played before transferring to Club Atlético Lanús in 1994. Three seasons later, and after winning the Copa CONMEBOL 1996, he moved to Spain to play with RCD Mallorca.

He was the goalkeper of the Argentina national football team that participated in the 1998 World Cup held in France. Roa didn't concede any goals in the group matches, and became a hero by saving a decisive penalty of the penalty shootout against England national football team.

With Mallorca, Roa played the 1997/1998 (winning the Supercopa de España), and 1998/1999 seasons as first goalkeeper before deciding to take a religious retreat. After a year of charitable and religious work spent as a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that forbid him to play on Fridays night or Saturdays.

A year later, Lechuga Roa returned to Mallorca for the 2000/2001 season, but didn't find continuity, playing only a few matches. He moved then to another Spanish team; Albacete Balompié, but a testicular cancer forced him to stop playing and, after an operation, to spend an entire year between chemotherapy and rehabilitation. Then he trained with Spanish Third Division Constancia de Inca, before returning to homeland Argentina to play for Olimpo de Bahía Blanca, where he is slowly returning to his previous goalkeeping level.

Cancer was not Roa's first health problem. While playing with Racing Club, he got malaria during a summer-tour through Africa. After recovering, he moved to Lanús.

[edit] External links

Carlos Roa's twists and turns
Lanús' Idols (Spanish)

	Argentina squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup Quarter-finalists
1 Roa \| 2 Ayala \| 3 Chamot \| 4 Pineda \| 5 Almeyda \| 6 Sensini \| 7 López \| 8 Simeone \| 9 Batistuta \| 10 Ortega \| 11 Verón \| 12 Burgos \| 13 Paz \| 14 Vivas \| 15 Astrada \| 16 Berti \| 17 Cavallero \| 18 Balbo \| 19 Crespo \| 20 Gallardo \| 21 Delgado \| 22 Zanetti \| Coach: Passarella