After enjoying numerous successful seasons together at Real Madrid, Marcelo decided to conclude his stint in the Spanish capital in 2022. However, his initial move to Olympiacos didn’t unfold as planned, leading Marcelo to become a free agent just five months later in February of this year.

Despite having various enticing opportunities, including offers from Saudi Arabia, the five-time Champions League winner revealed that Al-Nassr, Ronaldo’s current team, was among those interested.

Marcelo and Ronaldo reportedly discussed the prospect of reuniting after five years apart. Nevertheless, the 35-year-old Brazilian felt a deep-seated desire to return to his childhood club, a decision made almost a decade later.

Speaking on the Charla podcast (via O Jogo), Marcelo explained, “We [Marcelo and Ronaldo] talked about this some time ago. I had some proposals to leave, not just there [Al Nassr], but I needed to return here [Brazil], to my roots. Something told me that I had to go back.”