
Marcus Alves
Marcus Alves is a freelance journalist based in Lisbon and has written for FourFourTwo since 2012. He can also be found at BBC Sport, the Telegraph, Kicker and Yahoo. A former ESPN reporter, he covered 12 games in 15 days during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but can barely remember any of them. He blames cachaça for that.
Latest articles by Marcus Alves

Maniche's Perfect XI: Frank Lampard and Deco are in – but Didier Drogba and Sergio Aguero only good enough for the bench
By Marcus Alves published
PERFECT XI Maniche, formerly of Portugal and Chelsea, picks the best team he ever played with

Edu at Arsenal: why Brazil’s general manager arrives with baggage in north London
By Marcus Alves published
Arsenal The former midfielder has agreed to return to north London – but what can Gunners expect from their new (old) man?

What happened to Kerlon? The forgotten seal dribbler who entertained the world
By Marcus Alves published
Kerlon Moura Souza He began as an online sensation for his mid-match trickery, and won a high-profile move to Europe with Inter Milan. Then he disappeared. So where did the Brazilian trickster go?

Why Lucas Moura is hitting headlines in Brazil – for the wrong reasons
By Marcus Alves published
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham’s in-form forward has enjoyed a fine start to the season in north London, but controversial opinions on social media have landed badly in his home nation, writes Marcus Alves

Meet Alisson Becker: Liverpool's world-record new goalkeeper "who can define an era"
By Marcus Alves published
Alisson Becker On his way to Anfield as the most expensive goalkeeper ever, Alisson elicits the highest of praise from his Brazil coaches. Marcus Alves delivers the lowdown...

Philippe Coutinho: How Brazil's humble attacker became the critical piece in Tite's jigsaw
By Marcus Alves published
Philippe Coutinho Neymar gets the headlines, but Philippe Coutinho is the player Brazil can't be without. Marcus Alves digs into the roots of his relationship with Brazil manager Tite

Brazil versus Neymar: how a superstar lost the love of his country
By Marcus Alves published
Neymar Neymar may be Brazil's leading man at this World Cup, but a war is brewing between the country and its star striker, writes Marcus Alves

The inside story of Liverpool's potential deal for Ruben Neves – and Wolves's prospective replacement
By Marcus Alves published
Ruben Neves Marcus Alves explains how super-agent Jorge Mendes works to keep clients and clubs happy – by ensuring everyone has a place at the table

Why Brazilians just don’t rate Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino
By Marcus Alves published
Roberto Firmino His gifts have gradually become appreciated in England, but 'Bobby' has previously been labelled “the new Afonso Alves” in his home country. Marcus Alves explains all...

The 10 best South American teenagers in Football Manager 2018
By Marcus Alves published
100 Best Teenagers Looking for some bright young things to lead your future in FM 2018? Marcus Alves runs down the finest U20 players from South America, all featured in our list of the 100 best teenagers in the world

Why Brazilians love Barcelona – and clubs like Liverpool will always get dumped en route
By Marcus Alves published
Philippe Coutinho Philippe Coutinho is desperate to leave Anfield for the Camp Nou – but he’s far from the first Premier League player to crave a move to one of Spain’s Big Two. Marcus Alves explains an ingrained fascination

Why Philippe Coutinho wants to leave Liverpool: the inside story
By Marcus Alves published
Philippe Coutinho The Brazilian is looking increasingly likely to be a Barcelona player. FFT contributor and Brazilian journalist Marcus Alves broke the story yesterday that Coutinho had asked to leave Anfield – and this is how it all went down

FourFourTwo's 100 Greatest Footballers EVER: No.3, Pele
By Marcus Alves published
FFT 100 Greatest Football’s most iconic player, revered from South America to Europe, from the USA to Africa... it’s O Rei – the king himself

FourFourTwo's 100 Greatest Footballers EVER: No.10, Ronaldo
By Marcus Alves published
FFT 100 Greatest O Fenomeno had every quality a striker could want. Only injuries and fitness could stop him

FourFourTwo's 100 Greatest Footballers EVER: No.11, Garrincha
By Marcus Alves published
FFT 100 Greatest Brazil’s two-time World Cup winner is remembered even more for his wonderful trickery than his many triumphs

FourFourTwo's 100 Greatest Footballers EVER: No.16, Zico
By Marcus Alves published
FFT 100 Greatest Brazil’s great entertainer and goalscorer is the closest thing the nation had to a second Pele
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