FORMER BRAZIL STAR Marcelo has announced his retirement from football at the age of 36.
The defender, who won 25 trophies, including five Champions Leagues, in 546 appearances during his 16-year stay with Real Madrid, has decided to call it a day after returning to first club Fluminense, who have renamed their academy stadium in his honour.
In a video posted on his official X account, 58-cap Marcelo said: “My love for football comes from my grandfather. He wanted me to become a professional footballer and he did everything possible to make it happen.
“At 18, Real Madrid knocked on my door and I arrived here. Now, I can proudly say that I am a true Madrileno. Here, alongside my wife, I have built a family.
“Sixteen seasons, 25 titles, five Champions Leagues, one of the captains and so many magical nights at the Bernabeu. What a journey. Real Madrid is a unique club. Madridismo is an indescribable feeling.
“Playing for my country since the youth categories has also been a great honour. In my memory, I will always cherish two Olympic medals and a Confederations Cup.
“Returning to Fluminense meant giving back to the club what they initially gave me, helping them to win three titles, including the Copa Libertadores, and leaving a legacy for the younger generations with the Marcelo Vieira Stadium.
“My journey as a player ends here, but I still have so much to give to football. Thank you for everything.”
Madrid president Florentino Perez described Marcelo, who left the club for Olympiacos during the summer of 2022, as “one of our greatest legends”.
In a statement on the club’s official website, Perez said: “(He is) one of the greatest left-backs in Real Madrid and world football history, and we had the privilege of watching him for a long time.
“He is one of our greatest legends and Real Madrid is and always will be his home.”
Why is stamp in inverted commas?
Disgraceful conduct by O’ Driscoll. A fitting end to an underwhelming career.
If your going to troll pls be either:
Funny
Clever
Original
And not just a tool, there’s a good lad.
And there goes someone with a chronic attention seeking disorder, penny for the pity?? Anyone
Not trolling, sweetheart.
For someone who is heralded as one of the best players ever on the international stage, all he has to show for it is one Grand Slam. If he concentrated more on his rugby & less on being the poor mans David Beckham, he might be worthy of the adulation he gets from you sheep.
Still, at least he has the “BOD” brand to concentrate on now. LOL.
Jamie, agreed on BOD being an attention seeker. He was lucky not to get a straight red for that today.
You are actually aware that you need 15 players on a rugby team, it’s not an individual sport.
George Best was crap too I suppose. Never even played in a World Cup !
Exactly, 15 players on a team until one of them gets sin-binned for violent conduct. If BOD kept his head & tried to win the game for his country we wouldn’t even be having this discussion.
Also, you’re surely not saying that it’s been BOD & 14 no-hopers for the past decade? You can extend my earlier comment about an underwhelming career to the rest of the so-called “golden generation”.
BTW, George Best retired at 27 & was seen as a wasted talent. Not the best comparison to make.
Great lad
3 Heineken Cups in 4 years. Hardly underwhelming figures. The man is class and if our country sees another like him in the short years ahead we’ll be extremely lucky.
Underwhelming on the INTERNATIONAL stage Nicky. He left us down today, plain & simple.
We shouldn’t have to rely on a late Scotland try to save us from the wooden spoon.
Don’t where you’re getting ‘Nicky’ from.
Regardless, your comment said ‘underwhelming career’ and I was responding directly to that.
Yes he made a mistake today but that is not the issue I was commenting on.
That should read ‘don’t know where’
I’m genuinely struggling to comprehend how you could possibly call the career one of the greatest players of the professional era as ‘underwhelming’. He’s renowned as being one of the greatest because his career has been the total opposite of that
Jaysus Nikki,
It was obvious I was talking about his international career. It’s not 100% certain he’s going to retire from Leinster yet.
So the issue you were commenting on is the one you’ve decided you want to talk about, not the one I was raising. That’s not the way things work, you should try & stay on topic. :-)
Ciaran,
Whats he got to show for his career in the green shirt? One grand slam.
Underwhelming return for “one of the greatest players of the professional era.”
Give it a rest eh? You said ‘career’. It’s not 100% he’s retired from anywhere!!!
Nikki? If you want personal terms stop hiding behind a pseudo name and be open about who you are. Like I do.
Imagine a footballer did that, absolutely disgraceful, nothing will be said about it though because its a sainted rugby player and we all know they’re paragons of virtue and sportsmanship, not like those horrible football louts
Should have been a straight Red – the intend was there !
10 posts on ODriscolls stamp – wonder how many if it was another player ???