‘It was an immense privilege to play with Cristiano Ronaldo. He’s an extraterrestrial’ Marcelo on what it’s like to share a pitch with the Portugal icon

For almost a decade, Real Madrid were able to enjoy one of the most devastating left-hand side partnerships in recent footballing history.

Marcelo ticked every box you’d expect from a modern-day attacking Brazilian full-back, but throw in a near telepathic understanding with Cristiano Ronaldo and you had the kind of combination that would leave even the game’s very best right-backs waking up in a cold sweat.

But despite their successes at the Bernabeu, the pair got off together on the wrong foot, when they clashed in a Brazil versus Portugal friendly when the winger was still at Manchester United.

Marcelo on playing with Ronaldo

“It was a friendly,” Marcelo recalls to FourFourTwo. “Cristiano accidentally caught me in the neck, I was in pain, and when I opened my eyes he was already running towards the box.

“Nani was carrying the ball on the other flank – if he’d given the pass to Ronaldo and it had ended in a goal, I would have been responsible, so I came in and tripped him discreetly from behind.

“The referee never saw it, and Cristiano was furious because he couldn’t score. We pushed each other, but it was just a scuffle in the heat of the moment without any consequences.”

And it was clear that there was no lasting animosity between the pair, with Marcelo quick to talk up the honour of playing alongside the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“An immense privilege,” is how the 37-year-old describes playing alongside the Portuguese.

“Cristiano is different from everyone else – a leader, a tireless worker, and a player of great quality. Many people think he’s only about power, but they’re wrong. He’s an extraterrestrial.”

Only Pepe, Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos lined up more times with Ronaldo than the 332 times that Marcelo did, but it remains clear to Marcelo that their partnership was born out of more than just repetition.

“It was a relationship born out of spontaneity,” he insists. “Both of us are players shaped by the streets – we learned to play barefoot and just enjoyed ourselves.

“It’s a part of our essence, so we understood each other perfectly with just a glance. We never planned too much – I knew where he’d move and he knew how I’d make runs.

“Cristiano gave me advice from time to time – he was smart and understood the challenges we faced in every match.”