Real Madrid legend released by Fluminense after touchline row with coach

Updated: 03 Nov, 2024 • 0 • min read

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Real Madrid legend released by Fluminense after touchline row with coach

Former Real Madrid star Marcelo has had his contract terminated by Fluminense after a touchline spat with his coach during a match against Grêmio on Saturday.

The five-time Champions League winner left the Bernabéu in 2022 after 15 hugely successful years in the Spanish capital.

He had a brief spell at Olympiacos in Greece before sealing a fairytale return to boyhood club Fluminense last year.

However, the 36-year-old's second stint back in Brazil has been dogged by controversy, amid rumours of the left-back being widely disliked by the Fluminense squad.

The situation came to a head in a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A match with Gremio this weekend after a bizarre touchline row with coach Mano Menezes.

READ MORE: Germany star likens Real Madrid to Donald Trump over Ballon d'Or fiasco

Marcelo was set to be substituted on late in the final minutes of the game, with Fluminense holding onto a 2-1 lead over their rivals.

As Menezes was issuing instructions on the sideline, the veteran defender appeared to refute with what he was being told.

This led to Menezes becoming furious, before he pushed Marcelo and told him to sit down again.

I have never seen anything similar in elite football.
Fluminense manager Menezes ready to sub on Marcelo, giving him a tactical talk, to which Marcelo seems saying no.

Menezes gets furious pushing him back on the bench and doesn’t sub him on anymore pic.twitter.com/ortw0nissD
— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) November 2, 2024

And Marcelo ended up watching his team concede a stoppage-time equaliser as Fluminense drew 2-2 with Grêmio at the Maracanã Stadium.

Speaking after the match, Menezes explained his touchline row with the former Brazil international.

I was going to put Marcelo on, but there was one thing I didn't like and I changed my mind. Then I put John Kennedy in.

Now Fluminense have released a statement confirming Marcelo has left the club by mutual consent.

Fluminense FC and Marcelo Vieira announce the termination of the contract by mutual agreement between the parties.

Trained in the youth categories, Marcelo returned to Fluminense in 2023, having participated in the conquest of the 2023 Campeonato Carioca titles, the unprecedented 2023 CONMEBOL Libertadores titles and the 2024 Recopa.

The institutional and emotional ties between Fluminense and Marcelo continue to be maintained. The athlete's name was recently immortalized in the stadium at the Xerém training center.

Fluminense thanks Marcelo and will continue, as always, to support his success in all his challenges.

Last year, Marcelo won the Campeonato Carioca and the Copa Libertadores titles with Fluminense.

Marcelo is now a free agent, but he is unlikely to return to Europe, with the Saudi Pro League a possible option for him.

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