This is an incredible story about a footballer who went his entire 13-year career at professional level without ever actually playing a match.
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In 1979, a Brazilian player who was born named Carlos Henrique Raposo joined a Mexican club by the name of Puebla. Carlos Kaiser, as he became known, was believed to impress scouts from the North American side during a training session, but eventually departed without playing a single game in that same year. The issue was… Kaiser wasn't very good. He had the physique of a footballer, but his skills did not exactly match those of his peers.
So, how did he find himself in this peculiar yet fortunate position? Kaiser liked playing football as a youngster and saw it as a means to earn money following a poor upbringing. He enjoyed the sport, he could kick and pass a ball, but as his journey continued he found joy in the potential life it could give him. He looked at football as an opportunity, and he grabbed it with both hands! Returning to Brazil from Mexico in 1979, some in his home country already knew of him as he had represented Botafogo and Flamengo in his youth. Kaiser's charisma and charm allowed him to talk his way into being offered a professional contract at Botafogo, at senior level, where he stayed for two seasons. But, like in Mexico, Kaiser left without playing a single minute. Kaiser was essentially a conman who'd regularly fake injuries to avoid blowing his own cover! He'd arrive at a club, befriend executives and teammates, tell them fantasies about how lethal in front of goal he was in Mexico, and watch at how almost everyone he encountered fell into his trap.
Today, one would have to imagine this to be impossible due to the technology clubs have available to them, but nobody during those days were able to detect Kaiser's lies! They generally took his word for it, a credit to his personality, and this was the way the rest of his career played out. As the story goes, Kaiser was eventually found out at Botafogo after faking a phone call conversation in English by a club doctor who was fluent in English, and off to Flamengo he went to begin yet another chapter of his smart scheme. Kaizer continued with his front at the Brazilian giants, deploying more injury scams, but his ability to con wasn't one dimensional. Kaiser became creative, certainly more creative than he ever was with a ball at his feet.
Kaiser had a wide network of people in his corner, from club CEOs to well-known professional players and journalists. Through those reporters, he would plant stories in the press about his ability as a footballer, as well as about his romantic life, stories that would draw significant attention from women and people looking to rub shoulders with him. After a while, many would suspect that Kaiser wasn't actually interested in football, nor was he any good at it, but he was kept around due to his magnetism and lifestyle. Kaiser knew important people when it came to nightlife in Brazil and was known to come good on his promises. One story claims Kaiser actually did go close to playing a game while on the books of Brazilian club Bangu between 1985 and 1986, but decided, while warming up, to pick a fight with a supporter in order to get sent off. He did receive his marching orders, and how relieved he must have been that nobody would have to see him actually take to the field!
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Strangely, however, for all of his fraudulence and trickery, Kaiser did have a reputation for being a good person who was fun to have around. As previously mentioned, many grew suspicious of him over the years, but ultimately chose to ignore the inconsistencies in the tales he would tell. In 1992, his career as a footballer officially came to an end, a career that saw the Brazilian forward represent nine different clubs! In 2018, a documentary about his life titled Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football was released, featuring famous players such as Carlos Alberto Torres, Zico and Bebeto. Today, he is 60 years old.
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