Marcelo is leaving Real Madrid after more than fifteen years. The expiring contract of the left back will not be extended, he confirmed on Saturday after winning the Champions League final against Liverpool.
“The emotions are great, because this was my last game for Real Madrid,” said Marcelo after the final. “But I am very happy. This is not a sad day, because I am leaving Madrid with great joy. I am grateful for the fans and magical nights I experienced in Santiago Bernabeu.”
The 34-year-old Marcelo did not play in the final battle against Liverpool, but afterwards he was allowed to lift the ‘cup with the big ears’ as the first captain of Real Madrid. Just before the ceremony, he got the captain’s armband from Karim Benzema slid around his arm.
Marcelo moved from Brazilian club Fluminense to Real Madrid in January 2007 at the age of nineteen and became the regular left back of the ‘Royal’. In fifteen years, he made 545 appearances for Real and won 23 trophies with the club, including six league titles and five Champions League victories.
In recent years, Marcelo was mainly a banker at Real Madrid. This season, he played only eighteen games for the Spanish national champions. In the Champions League, he only appeared in two group matches and one quarter-final against Chelsea.
Marcelo declined to say where he will continue his career. He will only decide that after the championship party in Madrid. “I don’t feel like a legend of Real. I was lucky enough to be captain and to win the cup for my farewell. I could not have imagined a better farewell. The circle has come full circle.”