New Delhi: Marcelo the former Real Madrid captain has confirmed his decision to retire from football at 36. The Brazilian left Fluminense three months ago and has now confirmed his decision to leave the game. Marcelo’s trophy list is endless with his 15 years with Madrid giving him a total of 25 titles.
An attacking left-back, Marcelo started his career at Fluminense, after starting his career in the youth team at the age of 13. Marcelo joined Madrid in 2007 during the winter transfer period. Everyone expected him to bring a sense of youthfulness with him to the team.
𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄 major trophies.
Legendary Marcelo is hanging up his boots after an incredible career🫡 pic.twitter.com/QRfeMs28QR
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 6, 2025
Marcelo’s trophy collection with Real Madrid
Coming to Real Madrid, Marcelo had been lauded as a successor to his fellow native Roberto Carlos in the left-back zone for Los Blancos. Marcelo’s debut was as a substitute against Deportvio La Coruna which ended in a 2-0 loss. His first start was also in a 2-1 loss against Racing de Santander.
After Bernd Schuster took charge, Marcelo made a start in every game in the 2007-08 season. His skills, speed in the field, his ability to attack and defend made him indispensable to his side. However, poor performances in 2009 led him to stay on the bench for most games with new manager Juande Ramos using him mostly second to Gabriel Heinze.
However, his career graph started to get better with Manuel Pellegrini taking over, getting to feature in the starting XI regularly. His versatility and speed meant he could be used well in the left flank in both offensive and defensive roles.
By the time Jose Mourinho took over, Marcelo was playing in his left-back position and appeared to be a much more confident player. His exploits had led to Diego Maradona saying that he was the most entertaining player after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. From 2011 onwards, Marcelo had cemented his place with Real Madrid. At the start of the 2021-22 season, he was named the captain of Real Madrid, despite his previous season seeing some irregular appearance. The season saw Madrid take the La Liga title, Supercopa de Espana and UEFA Champions League.
Overall at Real Madrid, he won the UEFA Champions League five times, the Club World Cup on four occasions, La Liga six times, the UEFA Supercup thrice, Copa del Rey twice, and Supercopa de Espana five times. Aside from these his individual achievements include four times being named in the Champions League squad of the season and once in La Liga team of the season.
Marcelo’s career after Real Madrid high
After finishing his stint with Real Madrid, Marcelo went to the Greek team Olympiacos where overall he made five appearances, which include three goals in the two-legged round of 16 game against Atromitos in the Greek Cup. However, just five months into his deal, he ended his contract with the side and moved back to his boyhood club Fluminense.
With Fluminense, he has lifted five trophies, including the Campeonato Carioca trophy coming to his cabinet in 2005 and again in 2023. For Brazil, he was part of the U23 team that won the bronze medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics and the silver in Olympic 2012. He also won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 for his nation. However, he never got to lift the FIFA World Cup or Copa America with Brazil.
In a career that spans close to two decades, with majority of it coming for Real Madrid, Marcelo has taken more trophies than anyone else. Here’s a look into the highlights of the Brazilian’s career. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
