‘I’d woken up at 7am, still tired because the day before we’d been drinking. I thought, “Today I’m not drinking anything.” But by 8.10am we were back at it!’ Marcelo on his romantic Fluminense return

Marcelo celebrates with the Copa Libertadores trophy after Fluminense's win in the final against Boca Juniors in November 2023.

When a player returns to their boyhood club at the end of a prestigious career, it is often a mere exercise in nostalgia.

It’s a chance for the club to sell more shirts and tickets, while the player can wind down in a familiar setting.