‘Exit through the back door’

The situation of the full-back, who made history at Real Madrid, is viewed negatively by newspapers outside the country

The disagreement between Marcelo e Mano Menezes during Fluminense’s draw with Grêmio last Friday, 1st, for the Brazilian Championship was not the only event that had international repercussions. The full-back’s termination with the Rio clubannounced on Saturday, 2, was also news in newspapers in other countries, highlighting the melancholic end of the player’s career, whose culmination was winning the 2023 Copa Libertadores.

O MarkSpain’s main newspaper, stated that the former Real Madrid player is leaving through the “back door”, after lifting three cups with Fluminense. In addition to the 2023 Libertadores, Marcelo was also Rio de Janeiro champion in the same year, and the Recopa in 2024. The newspaper, however, did not fail to criticize Mano Menezes, calling the coach “arrogant” and remembering other conflicts of the coach.

Other Spanish newspapers, the AS Diary and the Sports Worldalso commented on the situation. The first defined the moment the full-back is experiencing as a “nightmare”, while the second stated that Marcelo’s positive trajectory at Fluminense so far ended “in the worst possible way”.

In France, the The Team he also made reference to Marcelo’s history with the Rio club and highlighted the negative end of the relationship between the two parties. THE Olé Diaryfrom Argentina, highlighted the fact that the termination took place shortly before the end of the player’s contract with Fluminense, which would end in December this year.

Understand the case

The episode that culminated in the termination of the contract took place 45 minutes into the second half, when Fluminense beat Grêmio 2-1. Mano called Marcelo and Marquinhos to take the positions of Lima and Keno, respectively. At the edge of the pitch, the Fluminense coach went to give instructions to the full-back, when he heard a comment from the player. Mano Menezes immediately removed Marcelo and called John Kennedy to take his place.