Real Madrid defender and captain Marcelo is reportedly ready to return to his former club Fluminense after falling out of favour under Carlo Ancelotti.
According to a report from Catalan publication El Nacional, Real Madrid captain Marcelo has accepted that his time in Spain is coming to an end and has his sights set on a return to boyhood club Fluminense in Brazil.
Marcelo enjoyed just one year of senior football with Fluminense during which he made 11 appearances, scoring three goals, before he was snapped up by Real Madrid in January 2007. Since then, the 33-year-old went on to have an illustrious career at the Santiago Bernabeu, firmly etching his name in the record books at the club.
Marcelo, to date, has made 530 appearances for Los Blancos, bagging a total of 38 goals and 101 assists, winning five La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League trophies, two Copa del Reys among many other honours in his 14-year long stint at the Spanish capital club. The left-back had been a critical member in most of these trophies that the team has won over the past decade and a half.
In fact, Marcelo, at one point not so long ago, was widely regarded as the best attacking full-back in the game. However, over the past couple of seasons, the veteran Brazilian has endured a sharp decline in stature, with form and fitness deserting him, leading to him falling down the pecking order at Real Madrid.
Indeed, Marcelo has found himself behind Ferland Mendy over the past couple of seasons while the likes of Nacho Fernandez, Miguel Gutierrez and David Alaba have been preferred over him at left-back in the ongoing campaign by manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Given his reduced role within the side and the fact that his contract runs out at the end of the season, Marcelo is said to have accepted that his time with Real Madrid is drawing to a close. A return to Brazil where he began his professional career is being mooted, with Fluminense believed to be keen on re-signing him.
Now, the 33-year-old left-back is also believed to be interested in securing a return to Fluminense at the next possible opportunity. The report goes on to add that the Brazilian has informed of his decision to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. It now remains to be seen if Marcelo stays at the Bernabeu till the end of the season or departs midway during the January transfer window.