Former Real Madrid defender Marcelo returns to boyhood club Fluminense

The
veteran
left-back,
who
started
his
career
with
the
Campeonato
Brasileiro
Serie
A
side,
returns
to
Brazil
after
more
than
a
decade
away.

Having
come
through
the
youth
ranks
with
the
Rio
de
Janeiro
outfit,
he
made
his
senior
debut
for
them
in
2005
and
remained
there
until
2007.

He
subsequently
signed
for
Madrid,
where
he
spent
the
following
15
years
as
a
key
figure,
becoming
Los
Blancos’ most
decorated
player
in
their
history.

The
34-year-old
signed
for
Greek
side
Olympiacos
in
September
following
his
exit
from
the
Santiago
Bernabeu,
but
terminated
his
contract
last
week.

That
has
paved
the
way
for
his
return
to
Fluminense,
who
are
looking
to
build
on
last
year’s
third-placed
finish
in
Serie
A
as
they
head
into
the
2023
campaign.

The
club
previously
expressed
an
interest
in
signing
the
defender
last
month,
with
Thiago
Silva
also
mooted
as
a
target.

Marcelo
celebrated
the
announcement
with
a
post
to
social
media,
simply
writing:
“Back
to
the
place
where
it
all
started.”

During
his
time
at
Madrid,
the
defender
won
an
unmatched
25
honours,
including
six
LaLiga
titles
and
five
Champions
League
crowns,
winning
the
double
during
his
last
campaign.

At
international
level,
he
won
58
caps
for
Brazil
between
2006
and
2018,
and
was
a
member
of
the
squad
that
claimed
victory
at
the
FIFA
Confederations
Cup
in
2013.

In
addition,
he
was
a
two-time
Olympic
medallist
with
their
under-23
squad,
taking
bronze
at
Beijing
2008
and
silver
at
London
2012.