Attacking fullbacks who use their pace to get up and down the wing are great to watch, but it’s also interesting to see how they adapt once their pace starts to go at the end of their career.
Those with the best footballing minds tend to move inside and they can last longer, but you’ll also get the Gary Neville example where he suddenly just can’t do it anymore and has to stop.
Real Madrid star Marcelo suffers in a similar way to his compatriot Roberto Carlos in that many fans assume that he’s useless in defence because he likes to attack all the time, but it’s not really a weakness in his game.
It could become a problem as time goes on when he doesn’t have the pace or the stamina to get back into position when the ball is turned over, but it appears he still has some life left at Real Madrid and he’s even going to be the captain next season:
Real Madrid have never been intentioned to sell Marcelo. He’s staying and he’s considered a key player for Ancelotti’s team, the board never had any doubt. ?? #RealMadrid #Marcelo
Marcelo is gonna be the captain next season and he’s happy to stay. ??
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 24, 2021
It’s expected that he will eventually be phased out by Ferland Mendy and the Brazilian also has plenty of injury issues so that will keep him out at times, but this suggests he’s still going to be a key player despite the departure of Zinedine Zidane.