Real Mallorca bring Roa back to football

Argentine goalkeeper Carlos Roa is to return to football after a year away from the game spent in religious retreat.

The former Real Mallorca star is ready to return to the Spanish club after a year in retirement on July 10th.

Roa is a seventh day adventist and quit Mallorca in June 19999 to follow his religious calling. The club made contact with their former star in April and talks began to bring him back to Spanish football. Roa has completed a year of charitable and religious work and is now ready to resume his football career with the island club. He helped Mallorca win the Spanish Cup in 1998 and they reached the last ever European Cup Winners' Cup final last year.

The player has announced his return in Buenos Aires and he is a former Argentine international who could yet feature in CONMEBOL qualifying matches for the 2002 World Cup if his comeback goes well.

Roa was forbidden from playing matches on a Friday night or Saturday under his religious rules and also spent time in isolation at weekends but the year off has left him with renewed ambition to play for Mallorca again.