The former left side of Real Madrid, Marcelo, announced his withdrawal from professional football on Thursday after a race full of trophies. The 36 -year -old spent 16 years in the Spanish giants Madrid, winning six league titles and five trophies of the Champions League. “At 18, Real Madrid knocked on my door and I got here,” Marcelo said in a video posted on social networks. “Now, I can proudly say that I am a real ‘madrileno’. What a trip. Real Madrid is a unique club.”
Marcelo enjoyed a strong relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo, raising four champions leagues with the five -time Ballon D’Or winner.
The couple scored in the final victory of 2014 over Atlético de Madrid when Real finished a 12 -year wait for their tenth European Cup.
“My brother, what an incredible career! We have lived a lot together, have been years of achievements, victories and unforgettable moments,” Ronaldo said in an Instagram post.
“More than a teammate, a partner for life.”
Marcelo also won the Copa del Rey twice and the Club World Cup four times during his time with the whites, for whom he made 546 appearances, scoring 38 goals.
“One of the best sides of Real Madrid and the history of world football, and we had the privilege of seeing it for a long time,” said Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, in a statement.
“It is one of our greatest legends and Real Madrid is and will always be your home.”
Marcelo was an unused substitute in the 2022 Champions League final when his compatriot Vinicius Junior scored the only goal against Liverpool.
“Thank you for your advice, for your reprimands, for the time that passes by your side,” Vinicius said on social networks.
“We made victorious in the countryside and we are friends.”
Marcelo made 58 appearances for the National Team of Brazil, playing in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and won the 2013 Confederations Cup.
He was part of the teams that won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic and Bronze Games in Beijing in 2008.
“Playing for my country since youth categories has also been a great honor,” he said.
“In my memory I will always appreciate two Olympic medals and a cup of confederations.”
Marcelo began his career with the Brazilian club Fluminense before leaving.
When he finally left Santiago Bernabéu, he joined the Greek club Olympiakos, but finished his contract after only five months to join Fluminense.
Marcelo helped his local team to win the liberators of the Cup for the first time with the victory over Boca Juniors in the 2023 final.
He left the club for mutual consent last November and has not played since then.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a union feed).
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