The greatest attacking left-back in football history — four Champions Leagues and the benchmark for the position.
Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1988. Real Madrid paid £5 million — a bargain — for him in 2007. His fifteen Madrid seasons produced four Champions Leagues and five La Liga titles. He became Real Madrid's all-time appearance holder for a Brazilian. His combination of attacking dynamism — overlapping runs, one-twos around the corner, crosses from impossible angles — with sufficient defensive awareness to function at the highest level made him the most celebrated attacking full-back in football history. He assisted in multiple Champions League Final moments. His partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo on Madrid's left side produced the most sustained individual attacking combination from a full-back position in the competition's modern era. He represented Brazil but never won a major international trophy despite appearing at multiple World Cups. He returned to Fluminense — where he began — in 2023, winning the Copa Libertadores in his first season back.
Champions League 4x (2014,2016,2018,2022)
Career Honours
- Champions League 4x (2014,2016,2018,2022)
- La Liga 5x
- Copa del Rey 2x