‘Despite being a legend, Zidane showed humility. He was different from the rest – and he was our coach. We were fortunate’ Marcelo opens up on what his best Real Madrid managers brought to the club

Brazilian great Marcelo spent a decade and a half at Real Madrid, sharing the Bernabeu dressing room with not only some of his era’s greatest players, but also the best managers in the game.

The left-back would win six La Liga titles and five Champions Leagues during his time in Spain, benefitting from working with everything from tactical masterminds to expert man-managers.

As the 37-year-old looks back on his career, he can see how each of his previous coaches were able to shape both the team and his own career.

Marcelo on the managers who defined his time at Real Madrid

Jose Mourinho arrived at the Bernabeu in 2010 with a reputation for getting his players on side and that’s exactly what he was able to do with Madrid’s star-packed dressing room.

“He was capable of changing your way of thinking,” Marcelo tells FourFourTwo when asked about the Portuguese’s greatest strengths. “Even if you believed you weren’t going to achieve something, Mourinho had the power to convince you of the opposite.

“Beyond being a tactical master, he had the insight to inspire his players and we gave everything for him.”

The Special One would last three seasons at the club, with Carlo Ancelotti replacing him in 2013 for the first of his two spells in charge and brought a fresh emotional intelligence to the role.

“Carlo is a wise man who understands football and people,” Marcelo continues. “Nothing he does is down to chance. Sometimes people speak about him as a man-manager in a disparaging way, but in my view that’s one of his virtues.

“To coach Real Madrid you need a soft touch, the ability to handle a group beyond tactics. But he has everything – tactically he’s also very good. You have to be well prepared and Ancelotti is a 10 out of 10.”

Zinedine Zidane also enjoyed two spells as Madrid coach, with the French legend clearly commanding respect in the dressing room.

“Zidane’s key was to let everything flow,” he adds. “We had a great team, every player was among the three or five best in the world in his position, and he gave us freedom.

“He’d say to me, “You, move through the middle.” Casemiro provided the balance, Sergio Ramos covered for me. Zizou also had an exquisite human touch. Despite being a legend, he showed humility.

“He was one of the players who treated the ball best, who won a World Cup, the Euros, the Champions League… he was different from the rest – and he was our coach. We were fortunate.”