Brazilian Football Icons Carlos and Gilberto Set for Charity Match in Sussex

Roberto Carlos, who earned 127 caps for Brazil and was a member of their 2002 World Cup-winning squad, is renowned for one of football’s most memorable moments: his distinctive powerful, curling, and swirling free-kicks, struck with the outside of his formidable left foot after a characteristic short run-up, often leaving goalkeepers without a chance. This coming weekend, spectators attending the 3,000-seat Dripping Pan venue are anticipated to witness similar displays of skill. The 51-year-old former Real Madrid left-back will participate in a charity football match in Lewes, Sussex, alongside his fellow World Cup victor and former Arsenal midfielder, Gilberto Silva. Serving as team captains, these Brazilian football icons will discover their teammates through a draw from a roster that includes former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, striker Jeremie Aliadiere, and ex-Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov. Carlos and Gilberto, alongside Sussex-based tech entrepreneur Tim Chase, are co-founders of Striver, a social media application aimed at preventing the dissemination of abusive content. Mr. Chase, who has experienced the loss of six friends to suicide, with the most recent occurrence four weeks prior, is dedicating Sunday’s event to raising funds for the suicide prevention organization, Campaign Against Living Miserably [CALM]. Brazil eliminated England in the quarter-finals during their successful campaign to win the 2002 World Cup. Mr. Chase, who is also scheduled to play in the match, stated, “We wanted to put on an amazing event to raise money for charity and to give the people who are there an unbelievable day.” He added, “It’s going to be interactive – the FA Cup-style draw was an idea from a fan.” Mr. Chase further noted, “There are going to be people in the crowd who have lost family members to suicide.” He concluded by saying, “If there’s someone there on Sunday and they want to reach out and talk to someone then we could potentially save a life.” Mr. Chase initially encountered Gilberto at a conference, leading to the development of their friendship. He characterizes the former Arsenal ‘Invincible’ title winner, who is also the godfather to one of Chase’s children, as being like a brother. Mr. Chase had previously conceived the idea for an abuse-free social media application. Following Gilberto’s introduction of Chase to Carlos, a three-time Champions League victor, the trio collectively opted to launch Striver. The application is engineered to employ artificial intelligence (AI) for the detection and pre-publication prevention of abusive material, thereby differing from the conventional method of moderators removing such content post-publication. Harry Maguire and Sol Campbell are listed among its ambassadors. Gilberto Silva participated in 32 matches during Arsenal’s undefeated ‘Invincibles’ title-winning season in 2003-04. Gilberto, aged 48, transferred to Arsenal from Atletico Mineiro in his home country of Brazil soon after securing the 2002 World Cup title. During his six-year tenure in north London, he accumulated 244 appearances and 24 goals for the Gunners, securing two FA Cups and a single Premier League title. The midfielder featured in 32 games as Arsenal completed the entire 2003-04 league season without a defeat. Petrov, 45 years old, played for seven seasons at Villa Park and holds the record as Bulgaria’s most-capped player, having participated in 105 international matches. Carlos spent 11 successful seasons with Real Madrid during the club’s ‘Galacticos’ period, playing alongside notable figures such as Raul, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, and David Beckham. He secured four La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies with Los Blancos, accumulating 527 appearances and scoring 70 goals. The StriveAid match is scheduled for Sunday at 18:30 GMT and will be broadcast live across TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch platforms.