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Whatever happened to Carlos Roa? The goalkeeper who rejected Man Utd to await the end of the world

Malaria, the apocalypse, testicular cancer... the eccentric shot-stopper beat them all to return to the world of football - but not on Saturdays

There are many reasons why a professional footballer may choose to draw the curtain on his career. Injuries, old age, a desire to spend more time with their family, all are valid motives to end the relentless treadmill of training, matches and self-sacrifice needed to stay at the top. Only one, however, put his decision down to the impending apocalypse.

Former Argentina and Mallorca goalkeeper Carlos Roa cut short his career in his prime, convinced that the world was going to end at the very moment the new millennium started.