Why the hate on Marcelo is unjustified

By: Enzo Karema

For his incomparable technique, matchless offensive astuteness, and expertise in the art of close control, madridistas, for years, had the privilege to confidently claim they had the most exciting left-back in world football, and seem sensible while including him in conversations of the best in his position. Marcelo was unimaginably loved, even at a time when Los Blancos had the most valuable roster on the planet. That said, there was nothing one could do to convince any of the fans he didn’t deserve the appreciation he received, because to some, he didn’t even receive enough.

Now, though, it’s as if these times were ages ago. Ever since the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo shockingly departed in the summer of 2018 to Italian outfit Juventus breaking the hearts of many, the Brazilian has looked a beta version of his former self and, as you’d expect, the fan base has found it complicated to tolerate. He can consider himself fortunate there was Sergio Reguilón in 18/19 and Ferland Mendy in 19/20 that started more often than him, meaning few would remember the mistakes he made in the games that saw him feature. However, in 20/21 he has failed to bypass any sort of criticism regarding his decline, despite putting up displays identical to the ones he put up throughout the last 2 seasons. 

Marcelo has lost his touch and nearly everything else that once made him a gorgeous left-back. While it must be said that he is still more fruitful than Ferland offensively, defensively, he has worsened, and his stamina persistently leaves a lot to desire. He is still a superb crosser, and his movements and combinations with whoever is the left-winger he’s playing alongside with still make Real Madrid excellent while putting up an offensive transition. But his positioning tends to be costly and his schoolboy errors constantly result in a tremendous negative turn of events.

Considering the facts: can we say he deserves all the hate and nasty insults he has frequently been a victim to? I agree that he has become unreliable because I was actually one of the few that supported the idea of letting him leave last summer. But after all those years of nostalgic magical moments he’s provided us, does he not deserve the least amount of respect? 

Real Madrid is the most demanding club this sport has ever witnessed, therefore it’s understandable if some may choose to feel displeased seeing a player like Marcelo in a starting eleven of any game today. However, no player let alone the 32-year-old merits to be referred to as a curse or be the scapegoat once their team endures a setback. Numbers never lie, the club’s record with him as a starter this term is hideous and there have certainly been matches where he more or less deserved to be blamed. But it’s not his fault Dani Carvajal conceded a penalty versus Elche last time out, or that the team underestimated Cádiz and endured a well-deserved defeat a couple of months ago. These are games he featured in and took all condemnation for his teammates’ poor actions. 

Regardless of what may ever happen to him, Marcelo will never think of willingly doing something that will harm Madrid, which sadly not many bear in mind. It’s totally ordinary for footballers of his age to decline. I commend him for his exhibitions versus the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in 19/20, games he started despite how doubted he was and proved his worth. The world may never see his best version ever again, but for everything he previously accomplished and for how important he currently still is, the hate on Marcelo is unjustified.