The 10 best Left backs in the world (Part 5) - Marcelo Vieira
Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior or more commonly known as Marcelo is a Brazilian footballer currently playing for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. Born on 12th May, 1988, Marcelo grew up in Rio de Janeiro and started football at a very early age.
Like many Brazilians, Marcelo started playing Futsal before he switched to football. By the age of 13, Marcelo was already on the books of Brazilian Serie A giants Fluminense. Marcelo grew up in a very poor family and there came a time when the young sensation
thought of quitting football for his family. Fluminense knew the players boundless potential and ensured the player had a future in football.
Marcelo signed his first professional contract with Fluminense and featured heavily in his debut season. The marauding wing back managed 30 appearances over two seasons and despite playing in defence, scored 6 valuable goals. For a player who had just turned
18, Marcelo had already become a star and clubs across Europe were drooling on his signature. Real Madrid duly completed his signing in January of 2007.
Upon his unveiling, president Ramón Calderón said, "He is an important signing for us. He is a young player who will inject some freshness into the side and is part of our plan to bring younger players into the squad. We're very happy because he's a pearl
that half of Europe wanted"
In an ultra attacking Spanish League, Marcelo found it hard finding his feet. Like many fellow Brazilians, Marcelo was not the best of defenders and his weakness was exploited by tricky La Liga wingers. Following a string of subpar performances, Juande Ramos
benched the talented Brazilian in favour of a more defensive Gabriel Heinze. Marcelo was deployed several times on the wing and the move paid dividends. Owing much to his pace and Brazilian flair, Marcelo scored a hatful of goals from the wing spot.
Florentino Perez took over the presidency of the club and brought a host of super stars to the club last year. Juande Ramos was replaced by Manuel Pellegerini. Under Pellegerini, Marcelo was constantly on the team sheet. His versatility meant the player
played both on the wings and also in defence. The player grew so accustomed to his wingback position that he reached the top of assist charts in La Liga for the season 2009/10, his defensive game however still lacking. Marcelo’s defensive frailties were brutally
exposed by Sevilla winger Jesus Navas in ruthless fashion. Navas frequently left the Brazilian in his dust. Following the humiliation, many called for Marcelo to be permanently moved to a winger role.
The story of this season has been in stark contrast. Under the legendary Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, the player has found his groove. While his attacking flair remains world class, his defensive play has improved in leaps and bounds. Jose Mourinho
recently concluded the Brazilian’s breathtaking form with some of his outspoken remarks, “Marcelo was a player that I never liked, but now I love him. People are saying I want to buy another left back. Well, I do not want to buy another left back. Marcelo
has enough defensive and offensive quality, and is growing as a player”
Mourinho’s words would have brought bundles of confidence to the 22 year old prodigy. Where once he was tipped to be leaving the club, he has now become a firm fan favourite.
Marcelo is undoubtedly the best attacking wing back in the world. With the breathtaking improvement he is showing with Los Galacticos, it might not be long before the player takes over as the best left back in the world. With Jose Mourinho mentoring him
for the foreseeable future, there is every reason Marcelo will become the best in the business.
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