NIVEA MEN: Marcelo’s 14 years at Real Madrid

Sunday marked a significant landmark for Real Madrid superstar Marcelo, 14 years to the day since he first signed for the reigning La Liga champions.

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Over the last near decade and a half, the Brazil left-back has become one of the Merengues’ most recognisable players; he’s been influential in some of their biggest successes, and a shining example of what it takes to play at such an elite level for so long.

The full-back has come a long way since 2006, when he first put pen to paper at the Bernabeu after signing on from Brazilian giants Fluminense.

The Brazilian has already surpassed club legends such as Amancio, Alfredo Di Stefano, Emilio Butragueno and Cristiano Ronaldo, and could overtake a few more luminaries before his time at the Bernabeu comes to an end.

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Champions League—including the Decima victory against rivals Atletico Madrid—and made Uefa’s Team of the Year on three occasions.

The wideman has also made the FIFPro World XI on six occasions, and a case could be made that he is world football’s finest left-back this century.

He’s proven to be an absolute bargain for Real after moving for a transfer fee of $8 million, catching the eye consistently for his flair football, his footwork, his technical prowess and his energetic approach to every game.

Particularly earlier in his career, his explosive pace was a key asset, notably in counter-attacking moves, when Real would launch forward at speed and simply overwhelm their opponents.

Marcelo’s presence bombing down the left flank helped Real outnumber opposition backlines, helping to create space for Los Merengues’ forwards and providing lethal assists for the club’s strikers.

“Removing [Lionel] Messi and Cristiano,” Argentina legend Diego Maradona said in 2011, “Marcelo is the best player in the league right now.”

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