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Real Madrid legend feared he would have to leave when they signed Cristiano Ronaldo after furious fight

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Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo became friends and teammates with Real Madrid, but their relationship didn’t get off to the best of starts.

The duo played together for nine years at the Bernabeu – the entirety of Ronaldo‘s spell in Spain – where they won two LaLiga titles, two Copa Del Reys and four Champions League crowns.

Video: Marcelo nets brilliant solo goal for Real Madrid against Galatasarary
Ronaldo and Marcelo won it all during their time together at Real Madrid

But despite both being written firmly in the Los Blancos history books, the Brazilian full-back revealed that their friendship got off to an ugly start.

Speaking to La Revuelta, Marcelo said: “My relationship with Cristiano started with a fight.

“In a Brazil-Portugal match, I hit him because he was going too fast.

“He overstepped, elbowed me, I responded with a kick, and then he grabbed me by the neck.

“I tried to react, but he was much taller, and I couldn’t reach.”

This fixture between Brazil and Portugal took place just a few months before Ronaldo‘s then world-record move to Madrid worth £80million in June 2009.

Marcelo then continued: “I got the message that Madrid was going to sign him in two months.

“I thought, ‘I’m leaving Madrid.’ But in the end, everything turned out fine.”

Playing alongside Ronaldo for nine years meant that Marcelo saw his rivalry with Lionel Messi at close quarters as the Real Madrid star battled the Barcelona legend for world domination.

Reflecting on who was better, Marcelo said: “We were lucky to play in the same era as Cristiano and Messi.

Ronaldo’s rivalry with Messi will go down as one of the all-time greats
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“I don’t like comparisons, but you have to acknowledge that both were incredible.

“Cristiano (Ronaldo) thinks he’s the best.

“There was a time when it was annoying because if one scored two goals, the other had to score three… We saw it live and we had a lot of fun.

“Many people want to make a comparison, but they forget to enjoy everything they were shown.”

Speaking of Messi, Marcelo said: “Yes, I appreciate him a lot. He’s a cracker, he’s incredible. I thought you were going to show me the videos of him dribbling (laughs). 

“I couldn’t even see him pass. He’s very fast.

MADRID, SPAIN - AUGUST 27: Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo of Real Madrid CF hold up the UEFA Super Cup (right) and LaLiga title for 2016/2017 before the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Valencia CF at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on August 27, 2017 in Madrid, Spain . (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Ronaldo and Marcelo are regarded as true Los Blancos legends
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“There is no problem at all. I was born in a place where dribbling was the best thing, not being dribbled.”

Marcelo went on to spend 15 years with Real Madrid, making 546 appearances and winning six LaLiga crowns and five Champions Leagues overall.

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