World Cup winning footballer Roberto Carlos has been sentenced to three months in prison for delaying payments for two of his children.

The 44-year-old owes 61,000 Brazilian real (approximately £15,000) to his ex-partner Barbara Thurler, and as a result has been given a jail sentence by the Rio de Janeiro courts.

According to local media and Spanish news agency Efe, Carlos claimed financial difficulties for his failure to pay the money and wanted to pay the costs in instalments.

However Carlos, who was famous in his playing days for his viciously struck free kicks, instead faces a spell behind bars in his native Brazil.

In his playing days he most famously represented Real Madrid, and was a member of Brazil’s World Cup winning squad in 2002.

Since retiring he has been an ambassador for Real in Asia and Oceania, and recently became a father for the ninth time.

But the Samba legend’s lawyer Fernando Pittner said the matter would be resolved without Carlos serving time.

Carlos — who is Real Madrid’s ambassador in Asia and Oceania — is not the first Brazilian to be sentenced to jail for not paying alimony.

Edilson Silva Ferreira, who was part of the Brazilian team who won the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup, was sent to jail on two occasions.

The striker ran up debts of over £100,000 in maintenance, including interest on three years of arrears.

Carlos recently denied allegations by a German broadcaster that he had taken performance-enhancing drugs in his career.

The defender, who won football’s biggest prize in 2002 as well as the Champions League in 1998, 2000 and 2002, has been dragged into a doping investigation in Brazil.