With Sergio Ramos exciting the Real Madrid scene, two players, Marcelo and Benzema have been announced as the captains of the club for the 2021-2022 team. Confirmed reports indicate that Marcelo and Benzema will be the captains while Nacho and Varane will be the third and fourth leaders. Sergio Ramos is leaving the club after sixteen years, a period that saw the club shine in the national and international arena. Will the two propel the club to the greater heights; Kate Richardson attempts to answer this question, more so by exploring the journey of Marcelo and his prospects in Real Madrid. If you looking for Trustly bookmakers, there are a number of them who accept this payment option, and when there bet on Marcello propelling the team to the greater heights given his past performance.
Where did he start?
Marcelo is considered one of the greatest left-back in current history. Born in 1988 in Brazil, the player plays for his Brazil national team as a left-back as well as for the La Liga 2020-21 champions, Real Madrid where he is also one of the captains. At the age of 18, Marcelo’s star was shining bright as he won Compeonato Carioca where he was named the best football of the season.
It was on his eighteenth birthday that the player joined his current club for a transfer fee of $ 8 million. At Real Madrid, the player has established himself becoming the best left-back in Spanish La Liga and indeed the world. During his helm at the club, he has witnessed the team winning 22 trophies, four of which are UEFA Champions Leagues where the player was selected in the winning squad several times.
The ride was not all-smooth
Marcelo has had up and downs during his helm at Real Madrid. When he joined Real Madrid in January 2007, the then club’s president hailed him as an important signing, a young player who was to inject freshness and a pearl that most European clubs wanted to have in their teams. Spectators also hailed him as a great prospect, a potential replacement of Roberto Carlos as a left-back. He did not disappoint as he scored several goals as well as putting a superb performance on the defense.
His abilities; speed and formidable attacks helped the player become an important part of the team. In 2009, things were not good for the player as several poor performances during the season saw him sit on the bench for most of the period. He was to be deployed as a winger on several matches but he adapted very well. Perhaps this is one of the characters that make him a darling of many in the club. He performed well in his new role up to a point where Ramos, the coach then, decided to position the player as a winger and also push back to defense whenever needed. 2009-2010 season, when the team was under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini saw him feature severally on the starting side, more so for his versatility and speed as well as the offensive and defensive prowess.
Pellegrini kept him in left-wing something that saw the player reach the top of the list for assist in 2009-2010 La Liga tournaments. He was to admit that he felt at home as a winger. It is this successful show that saw the player’s contract extended for another five years.
Back to the defense
Under Jose Murihno in the 2010-2011 seasons, Marcelo was back to his natural position. All his games during the season saw him play at this position. He did not disappoint, he put up a spirited performance, something that made him a darling of the coach. The player continued with his superb performance scoring several goals and propelling his club to great heights in various tournaments both at national and international arenas.
His rise to the captainship
On June 16th, 2021, the club president announced that Marcelo will be one of the captains of Real Madrid. He was to take over after the exit of Sergio Ramos, a player who was with the club for sixteen years.
Why he might have been selected for the position:
- First by being the player who will have been in the club for the longest period once Sergio left
- Second, he has shown tremendous performance and exhibited strong leadership qualities.
- He has also been a member of the captain squad, actually the second captain
- He had taken the position gladly, easily taking up the role and performing it gladly whenever he was called to act as the main man.
Marcelo will be the first foreign player to hold the position of club captainship. The last time this happened was in 1904.
He has been quoted severally saying that the role of captain is an honor, a position that should be taken with pride while recognizing the responsibility that comes with it; lifting the name of the team to a higher level as possible. These are remarks that show that Marcelo understands the position and what he should do to ensure success. He is fit for the position, together with co-captain they are set to propel the club into greater heights as the new season begins. Critics are already questioning his appointment with some saying it will be hard to replace Ramos influence in and out of the pitch.
Some see Benzema dominating the role as they predict Marcelo being left on the bench for the better part of the season. However, there many others who believe in Marcelo’s ability to lead, he has shown it in the past, there is nothing at present that prevents him from outshining his predecessors. The club management saw leadership in him and they could not be wrong. Marcelo’s star is shining bright, he will steer his team to another La Liga’s title and also put a strong campaign to capture the leadership of European football. Click here to learn more about EURO 2020.
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