Marcelo Martins is a legend of Bolivian soccer and the Conmebol Eliminatory. The 34-year-old attacker from Santa Cruz de la Sierra remains a true scorer despite his seniority and, according to the most recent reports, Club América would seek to sign him for the next tournament. The forward currently plays for Cruzeiro in the Brazilian second division. His signing by the Eagles seems feasible.
But who is Marcelo Martins? The ‘Matador’ or ‘Flecheiro’, as he is also known, is a forward who has traveled much of the world and whose name is engraved in gold letters in the history of Bolivian football. Although it might seem that his arrival in Liga MX is late, the 34-year-old is still at a high level and could be a good sign. These are five things you should know about Marcelo Martins:
Marcelo Martins is currently the scoring leader in the Conmebol Qualifiers towards the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The Bolivian attacker has nine goals in his personal record, two more than Neymar and three more than Lionel Messi. If Bolivia still has a chance of qualifying, it is largely due to Martins’ work.
The forward was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, but when he was little he went to live in Brazil, where his father is from. Martins played with the green-amarela in lower categories and is one of the few players not born in this territory who have represented the canarinha. In the senior team, the forward opted for the Bolivian project.
Marcelo Martins was trained in the lower ranks of Oriente Petrolero and made his debut with this team at the age of 16. Later he signed with Esporte Clube Vitória. At the beginning of 2007 he signed with Cruzeiro, the team of his loves and with whom he has played more than 100 games in his career. After his great performances he signed with Shaktar Donetsk a year later. The attacker made a pilgrimage to other clubs in Europe such as Werder Bremen and Wigan. Later he returned to Brazil with Gremio and also played with Flamengo. Later he returned to Cruzeiro. At the beginning of 2015 he undertook an adventure through China, where he played for four clubs. In early 2020 he returned to Cruzeiro.
Marcelo Martins won the German Super Cup in 2009 with Werder Bremen, the Ukrainian Premier League in 2011, the 2013 Brazil Cup with Flamengo, Brazil’s Serie A in 2014 with Cruzeiro, as well as the Europa League in 2009 with Shaktar Donetsk.
Marcelo Martins beat the legendary Joaquín Botero and is the top scorer in history for the Bolivian team, with 28 touchdowns. With 21 goals to his account, the 34-year-old is the third top scorer in Conmebol playoff history, behind only Luis Suárez (26) and Lionel Messi (26).
#didnt #Marcelo #Martins #striker #sign #America