(File photo)FC Anzhi Makhachkala's Brazil defender Roberto Carlos kicks the ball during the Russian Football League Championship match against FC Zenit St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg on March 21, 2011. (AFP photo)
RABAT, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Former Brazilian football star Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha has been named as ambassador of the Moroccan bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Morocco's 2026 Bid Committee announced on Friday.
"I am convinced that Morocco, the land of football, will celebrate the best of the game, offering the world an impeccable tournament full of authentic passion," Real Madrid former star was quoted as saying by the statement.
Roberto Carlos, who won the 2002 World Cup, played with several clubs, including Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
The Brazilian star joins the list of ambassadors of the Moroccan bid, which includes Cameroonian Joseph-Antoine Bell, Senegalese Hadji Diouf and Khalilou Fadiga, Tunisian Adel Chedli and Congolese Robert Kidiaba, the source pointed out in a statement.
This world-class defender "embodies the values of excellence, commitment, humility and fair play which are in line with those of the Moroccan bid," the statement said.
This is Morocco's fifth bid to host the World Cup, after its losses for the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 editions of the event.
Morocco is competing with a joint bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The winning bid is slated to be announced next June.