Appears five hundred and forty-six times. As a left-back, he scored 38 goals and contributed 103 assists. He played for the same club for fifteen years and then played for several more clubs. Brazilian Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior – Marcelo for short – is a modern-day football legend.
Like many Brazil internationals, he came from humble beginnings. He admitted in an interview in February 2023 that while his family didn't have much money, they ensured that he had the opportunity to pursue his dreams.
His father was a firefighter and his mother was a teacher, and his father didn't want him to follow in his footsteps because he made very little money.
Actually, I never wanted to be a firefighter, I just wanted to play football as a child. ”
He spends his spare time participating in local competitions and practicing on his own to achieve his goals. At the age of nine, he started playing futsal; This close-quarter, skillful play has essentially shaped his entire style of play for the rest of his career. After four years of practice, his technique is much better than the average of his peers.
At the age of thirteen, he impressed the scouts of the local club and signed with Fluminense in 2002. Marcelo trained for three years with the youth team, during which time he considered quitting the sport and starting a real career, but his grandfather convinced him to continue to achieve his dream – it was the right decision.
Marcelo played at left-back in his youth and started regularly. His performances were so impressive that at the age of sixteen Marcelo was promoted to the main squad and played at the highest level in the first team. Obviously, his talent cannot be wasted in any way.
After enjoying two seasons of regular first-team action in Fluminense, Marcelo found himself receiving a crazy **. One of the biggest fish in football has been closely watching his talent.
Although Fluminense finished fifth and seventh in the league in 2005 and 2006 respectively, Marcelo's consistent and skilful performances caught the eye.
The January 2007 transfer window has arrived, and with it a bid for Marcelo: €7 million to join a European giant. It was a huge ** for Fluminense, which they hastily accepted, and before he knew it, the eighteen-year-old Marcelo had signed with Real Madrid and boarded the plane to Madrid.
Marcelo arrived here and signed him a long-term contract until 2013, when he will play until the age of 24.
Madrid clearly has plans for the young Brazilian, who is seen by many as the best man of Roberto Carlos.
On 7 January 2007, he made his substitute debut in a 2-0 defeat to Deportivo La Coruna.
Over the next three months, Marcelo was substituted on several occasions and gained significant experience in different Spanish leagues.
On April 14, his great opportunity came when he was given a start against Racing Santander, a match in which they lost 2-1 and several times without giving a clear penalty.
The following season, Marcelo started almost all of Real Madrid's games, thanks in large part to the presence of manager Fabio Capello and the trust of new manager Bernd Schuster in his abilities.
His technical prowess, explosive speed on the flanks and his ability to defend and attack made a lasting impression as Madrid earned their 31st title, earning himself a regular place.
But not all good things will last, the coach has changed again, and some of his poor performances under the new defensive coach Juan de Ramos have led to him being on the bench frequently for the following season.
Ramos prefers defensive left-back Gabriel Heinze in favour of Marcelo as a winger; Boldly claim that his future lies in this role. Marcelo has scored four goals this season and Ramos has been sacked.
In 2009, Manuel Pellegrini became Real Madrid's next manager, bringing Marcelo back to the starting line-up for the same reasons that Schuster favored him, although he is still a winger.
He topped the assist charts with nine assists and scored four goals in the '09 10 season, with Marcelo even claiming that he felt "better as a winger".
Then, with the arrival of Jose Mourinho in 2010, Marcelo returned to left-back and is still playing in the first team.
Mourinho's preferred 4-3-3 formation was made possible by Marcelo's favourite overlapping formation, so he stood out and was named on the FIFA World Eleven shortlist for performances throughout the season.
Marcelo opened his Champions League debut with a brilliant performance against Lyon; He stopped their multiple attacks while proving himself to be an indispensable offensive outlet. Goal and assist Karim Benzema. Madrid won 3-0 and Marcelo was named Man of the Match.
Although Real Madrid were eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals and finished second in the league, this will be his first season that has truly lived up to expectations.
He earned a place in UEFA's starting line-up, with Diego Maradona claiming he was the third-best player in La Liga, behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, when he was just twenty-one years old. Marcelo was offered a contract extension that would keep him in Madrid until June 15.
Marcelo continued his success in the following seasons, making a significant contribution to Real Madrid's La Liga title in the 11-12 season and the Spanish Super Cup in 2012.
At this point, Paolo Maldini praised him as the world standard for left-back – "a great attacker and defender, an expert in both. ”
Roberto Carlos himself was quick to give Marcelo ultimate praise, calling him the best left-back in the world, while his predecessor stressed that his skill was a standout feature of the game; 'He's better on the ball than I do, and he's better at linking. ”
His teammates respected him and his voice, and he was offered several chances to captain Madrid during the 12-13 season, as his place in the starting line-up was well consolidated.
In the 2014 Champions League, Marcelo played an important role again. Due to injury, he played all but three games, helping Real Madrid keep a few clean sheets and scoring in the final to help Real Madrid take home the Champions League trophy.
He once again won the 2014 UEFA Super Cup for Real Madrid and kept a clean sheet against Sevilla and played in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup.
In the mid-2010s and beyond, Marcelo saw a renaissance. Real Madrid regained their winning form after a period of Barcelona rule, winning the Champions League three years in a row from 15-16 to 17-18.
In addition, Marcelo played 30 league games in 16-17, helping Real Madrid win the title again. He won two more Super Cups and Club World Cup in '16 and '17 and won the Spanish Super Cup in 2017.
In their third Champions League victory, Marcelo made 11 appearances and scored three goals and signed a contract based on his recent results, which will keep him in the team until 2022. He then won the Club World Cup for the third time in a row in 2018, with the team finishing third, with Marcelo playing 34 league games, behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
As he got older, Marcelo became more susceptible to injury, and he played only 15 league games for Madrid in the 19-20 season, but won the title again with Real Madrid.
The Chinese New Year's Eve was plagued by a variety of injuries the following season, while the arrival of young Ferran Mendy threatened his place in the squad.
Marcelo played 19 games in all competitions** in the 20-21 season, when he was still plagued by injuries.
After Sergio Ramos left the club in 2021, Marcelo was declared the captain of Real Madrid and the second foreign captain in the club's history.
Despite being the captain of the team, the aged Marcelo was often on the bench during the 21-22 season and was still plagued by minor injuries. With his contract expiring soon, he knows this is his last season at the club.
As a fitting finish, Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League, Marcelo's sixth and fifth respectively, making him the player with the most 25 major trophies in Real Madrid's history.
After the victory, Marcelo announced that he would leave the club after fifteen years. Over the course of fifteen years, he earned the respect and admiration of hard-to-please Madridists.
He won 25 trophies in Madrid, becoming the player with the most accolades in the club's history.
He left Olympiacos and played there for half a season before returning to Fluminense, where he could end his career where it all began.
Despite the overall strength of the Brazilian team, he has not achieved real success in international competitions. He won a bronze medal in the under-23 category at the 2008 Olympics and a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics. In the 2014 World Cup, Brazil suffered a 7-1 defeat at home to Germany, and Marcelo, who was the backline, took a lot of responsibility.
He suffered as a result and was often left out of the team. His next call-up was at the 2018 World Cup, when Brazil lost to Belgium in the quarter-finals, which will almost certainly be his last.