‘Flecheiro’, ‘Matador’, captain and reference, are some of the titles received by the historic scorer Marcelo Martins MorenoBolivian by birth and belief, since having the option to play for Brazil He decided to defend the Green shirt, to which he bid farewell this week.
After almost 17 years, ‘Flecheiro’ wore the colors of Bolivia in the match where his team fell 3-0 match Uruguayon the sixth date of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
“I think I chose the right stadium (for the farewell), this stadium full of history where you were very happy,” said the ‘Matador’ after the match, from which he emerged applauded by the public and supported by his teammates, but as well as the players of Uruguay.
The hug he gave her Luis Suarez when he leaves the field he will “always take it with him in his heart”, as well as the “respect” shown by the Uruguayan fans.
Tributes to Martins In recent days, they have multiplied on social networks, including emotional videos and messages from the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) and CONMEBOL, in addition to a commemorative publication on FIFA’s official website.
Marcelo Martinseither Marcelo Morenoas known to Brazilwas born on June 18, 1987 in the city of Santa Cruz in Bolivia, in a family of seven children.
Son of Mauro Martins, formerly of Palmeiras
His father is the former Brazilian footballer Mauro Martinswho played for Palmeiras in the 70s, and his mother is Bolivian Ruth Moreno. At the age of 16 he made his debut in Bolivian professional soccer, at the rank of Oil in the East Santa Cruz, and a year later he signed for Esporte Clube Vitória Brazilian.
Because of his ancestry, Martins He played for the U-17 and U-20 teams. Brazilbut then he chose to wear the colors of Boliviadebuting in the senior team in September 2007.
At the beginning of that year, ‘Flecheiro’ was already in the spotlight of Brazilian football and was welcomed by Cruzeirowhere he was the leading foreign scorer with 54 goals in 139 games.
Champions of the Europa League
He also took his goals Shakhtar Donetsk Ukrainian, with whom he became the champion of the Europa League in 2009, and played in Werder Bremen German, English WiganEditBrazilians Guild and Flamengoand in Chinese clubs Changchun Yatai, Wuhan Zall and Cangzhou Mighty Lions.
He also participated in Cerro Porteño Paraguayan and currently in Free Valley Ecuadorian. His signing for Shakhtar In 2008, worth around 14 million dollars, he became the most expensive Bolivian soccer player in history.
With the colors of Cruzeiro, Martins He was the top scorer in the 2008 Copa Libertadores with the Paraguayan Salvador Cabañasalthough his team did not make it past the round of 16.
The ‘Matador’ played 106 games for La Verde, in 2020 he became their top scorer and he was the first player to score more than thirty goals in the national team, some with a more special flavor than others .
As he opened the scoring in the 6-1 win by Bolivia in Argentina of Diego Armando Maradona and a young man Lionel Messi in La Paz in April 2009.
Also, ten scored in the Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers made him the top scorer of that campaign, surpassing the Brazilian by two. Neymar and in Uruguayan Luis Suarez and for three of the Argentines Messi and Lautaro Martínez.
He left without playing the World Cup
The forward was unable to fulfill his dream of playing in a World Cup and several times suffered from the ingratitude of his fans, who often demanded more from him than the rest of his teammates for his record.
His time at La Verde was not without controversial moments, such as his release after CONMEBOL was questioned about an outbreak of Covid-19 during the Copa América played in Brazil in 2021, where he himself was among those infected.
“If someone dies, what do they do? The only thing that matters to them is MONEY. Is the player’s life worthless?” wrote the ‘Flecheiro’ in a message that lasted a few minutes on his social networks and then it is removed. .
The claim earned him a $20,000 fine and a one-match suspension, but he has important support, such as that of the Paraguayan’s former goalkeeper. Jose Luis Chilavert.
The announcement of his departure from Green was a “hard blow” to his colleagues, who hoped he would change his mind. Before playing his last game, Martins He told them that it was “an honor” to play with them and that if he is a “reference” for Bolivian soccer it is because they made him a “scorer.”
After the match, the gunner made sure he left “with his head held high” knowing he had given “everything” for his country.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
