4) Marcelo
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If the famous Monchi had his way, Marcelo would have been playing at Sevilla. But Real Madrid stepped in and signed the 18-year-old Brazilian full-back in January 2007 – the soon-to-be-heir to Roberto Carlos. “He's a pearl that half of Europe wanted,” said club President Ramon Calderon.
Known for the bottomless pit of stamina in him, Marcelo would not stop running – so much so that central defenders Fabio Cannavaro and Gabriel Heinze had to rein him in by shouting at him to get back in position.
There were doubts about his ability to be a tactically disciplined player and managers such as Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti dropped him in crucial games. But Marcelo’s potential and skill always shone through and his style of play was gradually accepted in the grand scheme of things.
In fact, there have been games where Marcelo single-handedly ran the game from the left flank when the midfield failed to turn up. He would be a full-back one minute, a left midfielder the next and a left winger a minute later.
Marcelo has since won over Zinedine Zidane and established himself as a crucial member of the starting lineup. Having played in three distinct eras at Real Madrid, he has won 15 trophies and is still only 29 years old – a long way to go before he hangs up his boots.
