Starting this Monday, Brazilian Marcelo Vieira is chasing his fifth Club World Cup title, now with Fluminense, where he will face Egyptian Al Ahly this Monday in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) in the first semifinal.
The Brazilian international left-back won four Club World Cupsis in its long and successful phase in Real Madrid, in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and after leaving the white club he found a new option to increase his record after signing for Fluminense and winning the Copa Libertadores against Boca Juniors at the Maracaná.
The city debuts on Tuesday
To do this, they had to beat the African champions, Al Ahly, who offered a demonstration in the quarterfinals against Al Ittihad by former Real Madrid player Karim Benzema, which they beat 3-1, and will eventually face the winner of the second semi-final in Friday’s final, which is set for Tuesday Japanese Urawa Red Gemsexecutioner of the Mexican Lion (1-0), and Manchester City, European champion.
At 35 years old, he admitted, in statements to the FIFA media, that he was in the Club World Cup “It’s a dream a little too far”, and assured that every title achieved at Real Madrid “has a different flavor.” “I won four times and Now it has a special pleasure because I play it at Fluminense, the club of my heart,” said.
Marcelo, an expert like few others, does not want to gauge his team’s chances of winning the title. “With respect to rivals, I can’t predict what could happen. We will fight and play to win, but there are opponents who want to win. We have all the strength and faith that it can happen,” said the Brazilian, who highlighted that throughout his career he has not been well and always tries to “give his best.”
Fernando Diniz, Fluminense coach, He values the experience as much as the players Marcelo, Felipe Melo, Ganso, among others, more than the possible problem that their age may cause, and ensured that they will arrive in “good condition” to face “a very big dream.”
“The fatigue we have tiredness all the time is prevented by a strong desire to be here”, said Diniz, who described Al Ahly as a “very good team” that he knows well because he has watched many games.
Diniz praises Al Ahly
“They are a well-trained team, with great players. They reached the semifinals with a lot of merit, they have a lot of tradition and a very passionate fan base. We know we have to do our best to play a good game,” he added.
The match will be played at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah starting at 7:00 pm with Polish refereeing. Szymon Marciniak, the referee who directed the Qatar World Cup final 2022 between Argentina and France.
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.
