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.
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.
“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.
“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.
