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Cristiano Ronaldo has paid a glowing tribute to Marcelo following his Real Madrid departure, hailing the Brazilian as “more than a team-mate” during their time together in the Spanish capital.
Marcelo held an emotional news conference on Monday to say farewell to Madrid, where he spent 15 years and lifted 25 trophies – making him the club’s most decorated player in terms of honours.
A large part of that period of success came alongside Ronaldo with the pair forging a superb relationship down the left side that was decisive in the club’s years of domination in the Champions League.
That spell also saw Ronaldo become the club’s all-time leading scorer before he left for Juventus and now Manchester United, and the Portugal great still holds his former colleague in the highest regard.
“More than a team-mate, a brother that football gave me,” he posted on social media.
“On and off the fields, one of the biggest stars with whom I had the pleasure of sharing a locker room.
“Go with everything on this new adventure, Marcelo!”
Marcelo, 34, confirmed he does not plan to retire and would have no problem facing Real Madrid if he was to tackle them as an opponent.
“I won’t retire, not now,” he said. “I feel I can still play. Facing Real Madrid won’t be a problem. I’m a big Madridista but I’m also a big professional.”
