Another new club after Fluminense? No, left-back legend Marcelo is hanging up his boots. The Brazilian is officially retiring at the age of 36.
“Forever grateful.” These words are written under a farewell video that Marcelo shared on his social channels on Thursday afternoon. And with which the 36-year-old Brazilian left-back (58 caps for his country) announced the official end of his illustrious playing career.
In recent months, the tricky left-footer had been without a club after falling out with his boyhood club Fluminense. The question was whether he would find a new club. Since leaving Real Madrid in the summer of 2022, Marcelo had not been happy or even close to his old form, even during a brief interlude at Olympiakos Piräus.
So the answer is no. Or rather, it’s the end of his career. After 20 years as a professional, over 15 of them with the Whites. After six Spanish championships, two Spanish cup victories, five Champions League titles – including the three in a row between 2015/16 and 2017/18. Always with the offensively outstanding Marcelo as the key player, even when his creative forays meant that his colleagues had to help out defensively.
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With Fluminense, one of the big Rio clubs, the flamboyant head also won the 2023 Copa Libertadores, the South American Champions League, making him one of a select group of players to win both prestigious club trophies.
However, the truth is that in recent years, even in his last few years in Madrid, Marcelo’s career fizzled out in terms of performance. In 2012 and between 2015 and 2019, he was still considered the best left back in the FIFA team.
Real president Florentino Perez praised the 36-year-old in a club statement as “one of the greatest left-back defenders in the history of football” and “one of our greatest legends”. Real Madrid will “always be his home”.
