Cristiano Ronaldo pays a heartfelt tribute to ‘brother’ Marcelo

The Real Madrid legend sent a heartfelt message to Marcelo after the Brazilian bid farewell to the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo has paid tribute to his former Real Madrid teammate and ‘brother’ Marcelo.

On Monday afternoon in Madrid, Marcelo bid goodbye to everyone during a farewell ceremony. The 34-year-old will leave the club once his contract expires at the end of the month. It brings an end to a glorious 15-year spell, one which saw him win 25 trophies – which is more than any footballer has ever won with the Spanish and European champions.

Many renowned members of Real Madrid attended Marcelo’s sendoff, including manager Carlo Ancelotti and Castilla coach Raul Gonzalez.

Mais do que um companheiro de equipa, um irmão que o futebol me deu. Dentro e fora dos campos, um dos maiores craques com quem tive o prazer de partilhar um balneário. Vai com tudo nessa nova aventura, Marcelo! 🙌🏽🙏🏽👊🏽 pic.twitter.com/Rjgb5R3DAd

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) June 13, 2022

‘A brother that football gave me’

But while Ronaldo couldn’t attend himself, the Manchester United frontman still sent his good friend a message on social media as he prepares to embark on a new chapter in his career.

“More than a teammate, a brother that football gave me,” Ronaldo posted on Twitter.

“On and off the fields, one of the biggest stars with whom I had the pleasure of sharing a locker room. Go with everything on this new adventure, Marcelo!”

Ronaldo and Marcelo played alongside each other at Real Madrid for nine years from 2009 until 2018. They shared the pitch on 332 occasions and won four Champions League titles together.

Marcelo added a fifth European crown to his haul last month when Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the Champions League final.

The left-back is now searching for a new club after announcing that he does not plan to retire. Reports have linked him with moves to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Turkey.