BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Marcelo, the Real Madrid great famous for his big hair and being one of the most decorated players in soccer history, announced his retirement on Thursday at the age of 36.
“My journey as a player ends here, but I still have so much to give to football. Thank you for everything," the Brazilian said in a video on X.
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FILE - Real Madrid player Marcelo holds up the Champions League soccer trophy at the Cibeles square during a trophy parade in front of the City Hall in Madrid, Spain, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's Marcelo from Brazil, right, kicks the ball during their Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg match against Atletico de Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid Jan. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's Marcelo celebrates with the trophy after winning the Champions League Final soccer match between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, May 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's Marcelo controls the ball during a training session ahead of Wednesday's Champions League first-leg quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge stadium in London Tuesday, April 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
A defender who excelled in attack, Marcelo had one of the most trophy-filled careers in soccer history thanks to his time at Madrid from 2007-22 and his return to boyhood Brazilian club Fluminense across 2023-24. He also played for Brazil at the World Cup in 2014 and ’18, and won Olympic medals in 2008 (bronze) and 2012 (silver).
At Madrid, he won the Champions League five times, the Spanish league six times and 25 titles in total.
“Marcelo is part of the history of Real Madrid and is one of the great legends of our club and of world football,” Madrid said.
Marcelo made the jump to Europe in 2006 when the Spanish powerhouse was in a slump. He went on to help Madrid forge one of the most successful periods in its history by flourishing in joining the attack in the spaces created by Cristiano Ronaldo on the left flank.
Ronaldo paid tribute to his old teammate, calling him a “brother.”
“My brother, what an incredible career!” Ronaldo wrote on X. “We went through a lot together. There were years of achievements, victories and unforgettable moments. More than a teammate, (you) a companion for my life. Thanks for everything, friend. I wish you all the best in this new stage of life.”
Marcelo made 546 appearances in 16 seasons before leaving the all-whites in 2022 after lifting his fifth European Cup. At that time, he had the most titles in club history. He has since been overtaken by Luka Modric and Nacho Fernández with 26 each.
After a brief spell with Olympiakos in Greece, Marcelo moved back to Fluminense — where he started his career — and won the Copa Libertadores.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Real Madrid player Marcelo holds up the Champions League soccer trophy at the Cibeles square during a trophy parade in front of the City Hall in Madrid, Spain, May 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrea Comas, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's Marcelo from Brazil, right, kicks the ball during their Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg match against Atletico de Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid Jan. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's Marcelo celebrates with the trophy after winning the Champions League Final soccer match between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine, May 26, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's Marcelo controls the ball during a training session ahead of Wednesday's Champions League first-leg quarterfinal soccer match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge stadium in London Tuesday, April 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.
Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.
Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.
U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.
"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”
Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.
Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.
“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”
Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.
U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.
Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.
Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.
Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.
"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.
The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.
The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.
“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.
“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”
The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
