Over the years in Indian football, many players from Brazil have left their mark on the sands of time. Starting from the likes of Jose Ramirez Barreto to the Indian Super League era of Elano Blumer or the legendary Roberto Carlos, many elite Brazilian stalwarts have left their mark in Indian football. One such name is Marcelinho Leite who has stormed the ISL with his goals, the Samba swagger and his drop dead skills on the pitch.
Marcelinho has featured for many teams over the years in the ISL and have left his mark for most of them. His exceptional close control and silky movements made him a major threat for any opposition defender. He made an instant impact in his debut ISL season as he scored 15 goals and won the Golden Boot while plying his trade for Delhi Dynamos. He played for a total of six clubs in six years but he never got to don the yellow of Kerala Blasters despite being linked with him for many seasons.
Marcelinho was pivotal to Hyderabad FC’s plans in the 2019-20 season as he scored seven goals and two assists before moving out to Odisha FC. he then featured for ATK Mohun Bagan aswell on loan before moving out to NorthEast United in the successive season. He recently shared his thoughts on an Instagram live and there he expressed his disappointment of never playing for the Blasters as he really enjoys the atmosphere, love and affection that the fans share for their players.
“I watched the first Hero ISL final (in Kochi). I have always enjoyed my time in Kochi. Many of my followers are from Kerala, they always message me. We have something special and there’s a very nice connection between me and Kerala. Unfortunately, I never played there,” he said in an Instagram live interaction.
The Brazilian shared that the atmosphere and the football culture in Kerala touched him everytime he played against the Blasters. “It’s the most beautiful pitch in India. Whenever I have played against Kerala Blasters FC, I have given my jersey or something else to the crowd. There is something (about Kerala) that touched me,” he added.
Marcelinho played for six clubs in the ISL but he never played for Kerala Blasters but still he received a lot of praise and appreciation for his gameplay from the Blasters fans. That action touched the Brazilian forward deeply and feels it is beautiful about the place and the people.
“It’s something special (the connection with Kerala Blasters FC fans) because even when I played as an opposing player, fans in Kerala were very supportive. It is the most beautiful thing in football, that doesn’t happen so often. They write to me all the time on Instagram but I have no idea about the reason behind the love” he added.
Kerala Blasters over the years have had several renowned forwards but their love for Marcelinho is no secret. The Blasters tried to sign the Brazilian a couple of times but they did not succeed. Then with the managerial change, the new officials weren’t a fan of the Brazilian who was gradually on the decline. It is sad that the Brazilian never got to represent the Blasters but they will always be in his heart just for the unconditional love that the people have shown over the years.
