Marcelo appeared on Movistar’s “Universo Valdano” and was interviewed by Jorge Valdano himself.
Now retired, the Brazilian returned to Madrid because “I missed being home, at Real Madrid. Football is very short, while we have a huge life to live. No matter how many titles I have, no matter how much fame I have, no matter how much money I have… the best title I have is my family, who have always been with me,” he said.
He then revealed how important futsal has been to him. “I arrived at Real Madrid at the age of 18, which means that when I arrived, I had only been playing eleven-a-side football for four years. Futsal is the basis of everything. Many people don’t have the experience of what the basics of futsal can give a player. Futsal brings contact with the ball and vision of the game. There are players who look like they have rearview mirrors, and that’s what futsal gives you because there you don’t have any space, and if you can do in eleven-a-side football what you do in futsal, you’ll be fine. Futsal gave me everything.
“That’s why I did things people said I couldn’t do, because 11-a-side football is different. I started as a striker and, little by little, I moved to the wing. I did different dribbles, and that’s what they saw in the first team, which is why they called me up. In 11-a-side football, it was much easier for me to score goals because the goals were much bigger,” he laughs.
Considered one of the best left-backs in history, Marcelo is often compared to Roberto Carlos, which surprises him a little. “I think there is no competition because Roberto is the best in the category, he is on another level. For me, as I always say, it is an honor that there are people crazy enough to wonder who is the best of the two of us. From my point of view, with the experience I have, Roberto was much better and will always be the best in history.”
Finally, he spoke about his two sons (Enzo and Liam) who are at the Real Madrid youth academy. “I don’t talk much about football with my sons. I sometimes ask them questions, but each one has their own style. I see an action and I want to do one thing, but my son will do another because he has a different way of thinking. I can’t demand from my son that he do what I did 20 years ago,” Marcelo explained.
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