Marcelo, at the press conference on his departure from Real Madrid ISABEL INFANTES (REUTERS)
When Real Madrid return to the field in a month, Valdebebas will be without a Brazilian left-back for the first time in the last quarter century. Marcelo Vieira, heir to Roberto Carlos, his host on his first Christmas in Spain, bid farewell this Monday with great pomp to the club, which he leaves at the age of 34 with the label of the player with the most titles in history of the company (25, including five champions). From now on, the left defense of the Whites, apart from the surprise, belongs entirely to the European school, with Ferland Mendy, David Alaba or the multitasking Nacho.
Dressed in all black, with a silver necklace and his classic wire hair, the Rio de Janeiro native made it clear that he has no intention of retiring and that playing against Madrid would not be a problem in the short term. “I’m not afraid of the future, I’m not insecure. I did what I had to do here, my story in Madrid is written. I am leaving young people with a legacy: humility and knowing where you are,” he explained at the press conference after a protocol act in which he could hardly connect two sentences in a row without bursting into tears. Between hot flashes, he confessed that he always “wanted to follow the example of Raúl”, the captain when he arrived in January 2007 and was one of those present at the farewell along with Florentino Pérez, Carlo Ancelotti, Dani Carvajal and Marco Asensio.
From 2018, precisely in the abrupt phase that began in the team after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and the first departure of Zinedine Zidane, his weight on the field progressively and irrevocably decreased. From the 3,617 minutes he clocked in 2017/18, he fell to 807 in that recently ended season, with an almost symbolic Champions League appearance. First there was competition from Reguilón (Solari preferred him); Zidane initially protected him by getting rid of Reguilón as soon as he brought Mendy into play, but later relegated him to sporadic appearances as a lane player, always accompanied by three central defenders, due to his lack of defensive reliability; and Carlo Ancelotti hardly gave him a hint. A fall as a target, which was even worse with his team, from which he disappeared shortly after the World Cup in Russia.
“Of course I saw that I play more [en este periodo]’ he admitted. “I spoke to the coaches and they did their job. I argued with Ancelotti and Zidane and the next day we kissed and hugged,” he said. According to his story, the light was seen this season when he was less prominent on the pitch. “I’ve won five Champions Leagues “, I played in the first four finals and not the last. And it was the most important thing I felt. I spoke to Rodrygo on the bench for five minutes and he looked at me in shock. Before the game, I also spoke to Militão and Valverde. It didn’t happen with the others. It’s very nice to play, to score, to provide an assist, but the best thing for me was talking to the kids. It’s the legacy I want to leave That young people understand that anything is possible,” he warned.
“This season I haven’t played almost anything and for me I’ve played a lot. I saw that I was very helpful. When I played more, I didn’t feel as useful as I do now. I realized that you no longer have to play to help a team win a Champions League or a league to be important. It is necessary to form a team and understand the coach. Maybe I was selfish when I spoke to Ancelotti or Zizou and asked them to play. From that point of view, the coach has his job,” he emphasized.
The decision not to renew came after a meeting with the club, where both agreed it was best to leave now. “Going without worries for another year or two is not going to happen in my life,” he added. His future remains to be seen – he avoided giving any details – although he did say one thing: he will not be a coach. “I don’t see myself, I don’t have that ability. I never understood tactics, three, five, I don’t know what. Imagine I’m a coach and I tell the players that everyone goes to their ball. It’s not even worth trying,” he said calmly.
He arrived on the winter market in 2006 along with Gago and Higuaín from Fluminense, costing 6.5 million and leaving after 16 seasons with 545 games, 38 goals and 103 assists. “I came when I was 18 and my wife when I was 17 thought I was mature. But now I see the ones that are arriving and I didn’t know anything,” he said.
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