Brazilian star Marcelo has recently revealed how close he came to reuniting with Cristiano Ronaldo. One of the most prolific left-backs in soccer history, Marcelo joined the Brazilian side Fluminense earlier this year. He spent 15 years at Real Madrid and left as the club’s most decorated player with 25 trophies. However, Marcelo revealed his reasons behind leaving the club and joining Fluminense.
Back in 2002, Marcelo started his soccer career at the Brazilian club Fluminense’s youth side. He made his professional debut in 2005 and stayed there for two more years before leaving the club for Real Madrid. He won six La Liga titles and five Champions League trophies. In addition to this, he also won the UEFA Super Cup thrice and the Club World Cup on four occasions.
Real Madrid full-back Marcelo is set to leave this summer after 15 seasons at the club. (Source: MARCA) pic.twitter.com/Jm64XBV6Mu
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) May 26, 2021
When he finally left Los Blancos in 2022, it was rumored that Marcelo would sign with Al-Nassr. The ex-Real Madrid star would have been reunited with his former teammate and close friend, Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Marcelo chose to reject Al-Nassr and return to his boyhood club, Fluminense. He also explained the reasons behind his decision during his recent appearance on the Charla Podcast.
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐥-𝐍𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫
🎙️ Marcelo: “We talked about this some time ago. I had some proposals to leave, not just there[Al-Nassr]…but I needed to return here[Brazil] to my roots. Something told… pic.twitter.com/2PNQg1a2d1
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) November 15, 2023
He said, “We talked about this some time ago. I had some proposals to leave, not just there[Al-Nassr]…but I needed to return here[Brazil] to my roots. Something told me that I had to go back.” However, he hit the ground running as soon as he returned to Fluminense. Earlier this month, Marcelo led his side to victory in the Copa Libertadores final and became only the 15th player to win both the Libertadores and the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s friendship with Marcelo started on a sour note
Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo shared a very close bond during the pair’s time at Real Madrid. The two former Real Madrid stars shared a telepathic understanding on the pitch. During their time at the Spanish club, Marcelo provided 25 assists to Ronaldo. Ronaldo even penned a heartfelt message for his former teammate after Marcelo left Real Madrid. However, not many people know how Ronaldo’s first interaction with Marcelo was.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo met each other for the first time in 2008 during a friendly between Portugal and Brazil. During the match that ended with the Brazilians thumping the Portuguese 6-2, Ronaldo and Marcelo were involved in a huge bust-up. The two stars even went on to the extent of grabbing each other’s throats. However, after Ronaldo joined Marcelo at Real Madrid the next year, the pair appeared to have buried the hatchet.