Brazilian full back Marcelo wept as he said goodbye to Real Madrid but said that he never considered retirement and is still motivated to keep playing for many more years.
“I don’t think much about the future, I like to live in the moment. But it’s really hard to leave the club that you played your entire life,” Marcelo notified.
“I’m not scared about the future. I’ve done what I wanted here and I’m looking forward to what’s next. Not with fear of uncertainty, but with excitement.”
Marcelo stated that he is still dubious about his future but drop retiring or going back to his native Brazil, implying that he wants to keep playing in Europe and at a club that will play in next season’s Champions League.
Marcelo, 34, made 546 appearances for the club since uniting in 2007 and leaves as the most superb player in Real’s 120-year history.
His departure comes following triumphing a 5th Champions League title as team captain, his 25th trophy with the club as they defeat Liverpool 1-0 in the final in Paris last month.
“I walk out of here with my head held high. My family is very proud of me,” Marcelo stated emotionally at the ceremony organized by the club attended by his family, close friends, team mates and Coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“I feel very fortunate, everything I have had in my life has been with work, but I have been lucky with the people I have had by my side. Thank you very much to you all.”
“This is not a goodbye; I do not feel that I am leaving Real Madrid. The club’s future is secure with promising young talent, and in that I include my son, who is playing well in the academy. I arrived as a child, and I leave as a man.”
Despite being a crucial starter during most of his career, Marcelo has found playing time limited in recent seasons and made only 12 features in the league during the 2021-22 campaign. It was a role he ceded was annoying, but he took it in his progress.
“I argued with Ancelotti and Zidane last season because I wanted to play more, but as this year progressed, I learnt that you can be useful in other ways outside the pitch. As a leader in the locker room, I learned to appreciate what my team mates were doing,” he stated.
