Nine years ago, on June 30, 2007, Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, 19, was at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium for the U20 FIFA World Cup.
Today, on July 21, 2016, he who simply goes by the name Marcelo, 28, was at Centre Nutrilait for Real Madrid training.
Back then, Marcelo already belonged to the Merengues, but he was still a young man, an unpolished talent, a promising left back that had been compared to Roberto Carlos but won nothing just yet. On that day of 2007, Marcelo only came on as a sub in the 66th minute in a 1-0 Brazil loss to a brave Poland team spurred on by thousands of vocal fellow Poles in the stands.
How times have changed. Marcelo is now one of Real Madrid vice-captains and has now won every possible trophy with his club, including the most recent edition of the UEFA Champions League. The Impact is now part of the North American elite. And Montreal is, more than ever before, a soccer city.
“It’s changed so much,” said Marcelo. “Soccer here has evolved a great deal. I’ve been talking to friends from here. The facilities weren’t so bad before, but it’s improved greatly. Hopefully, it’ll keep growing. We’ve gotten a great welcome, and the facilities are incredible.”
