Marcelo: “It’s an honor to be the captain of the world’s greatest club”

It’s been a while since Real Madrid left-back Marcelo Viera was considered a crucial member of the squad in terms of his contributions on the pitch. Still, Marcelo will be the team’s first captain this season after the departure of Sergio Ramos. Today, the club legend talked to Real Madrid TV and discussed what it means for him to have such an important role.

“It’s an honor and an enormous responsibility to be captain of the greatest club in the world. I’m extremely lucky,” he said.

While isn’t an undisputed starter anymore, he still has the passion to keep going and contribute any way he can.

“When you are a Real Madrid player you wake up every day full of desire and that grows after every season. I’ve been here for a long time, but the desire is still there and it just keeps on growing. I’m really looking forward to the start of the new season,” he explained.

The club might be keen on letting Marcelo leave in order to get rid of his contract, but it looks like he will stay. He could try to help some of Real Madrid’s prospects, something he already did last season, according to Miguel Gutierrez.

“I’d say that rather than teaching them things, I try to help them with things that they’ve maybe not experienced before: things in training, managing the ball, listening to the coach, being more aware of what the fitness coach is asking for.... Normal things like that because we know that they’re all quality players. As footballers, we have a limited amount of football in us, but it’s very intense. It’s important to learn every day,” explained Marcelo.

Carlo Ancelotti is back with the team. Could that mean more minutes for Marcelo given the great relationship the two of them had in the past? The defender didn’t reveal his expectations but praised his new —and former— coach.

“We learn from him in every training session and he’s always chatting with us. It’s a pleasure to train with him and his coaching staff again,” he said.

Real Madrid didn’t win a single trophy last season. Marcelo knows that it’s the team’s duty to turn things around and complete a successful season.

“We’re aware that it’s very tough to go through a season without winning a title, but we fought til the end of the season. I’m sure we’re going to win something. We’re very happy, we’ve still got players to come back from international duty or on holiday, but we’re very motivated for the season to start,” he concluded.