Marcelinho Paraíba

Marcelo dos Santos (born 17 May 1975), commonly known as Marcelinho or Marcelinho Paraíba, is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. The suffix "Paraíba" refers to his home state in Brazil, distinguishing him from other footballers sharing the nickname.

During his playing career, Marcelinho was widely regarded as a highly creative playmaker, recognized for his vision, dribbling skills, and set-piece ability. He spent his most notable years in the German Bundesliga, primarily with Hertha BSC, where he became a club icon and won two DFB-Ligapokal titles, before later captaining VfL Wolfsburg. At international level, he earned five caps and scored one goal for the Brazil national football team.

In addition, he is also one of a select number of players who have amassed over 1,100 career appearances.

Career Born in Campina Grande, Paraíba, Marcelinho began his career in Campinense, where he won two league titles there. Between 1994 and 1995, he played for Santos. Two years later, however, he made his breakthrough at São Paulo, where he won two Paulistões before being sold to Olympique de Marseille.

He only spent a year in France, and in 2001 he returned to Brazil to play for Grêmio, where he began to experience the pinnacle of his career. At that time, Marcelinho was called "Marcelinho Paraúcho" by Gremistas, because of his passage in the team. He became champion and top scorer of the Campeonato Gaúcho, and champion of the Copa do Brasil, where he scored a goal in the second game in the final against Corinthians. He did not play in the league that year because he had previously signed a five-year contract with Hertha BSC.

Marcelinho played for Hertha from 2001 to 2006, establishing himself as one of the most important players in the club's history. Operating primarily as a playmaker, he was known for his technical brilliance, vision, and leadership, while also carrying the responsibility for the team's free kicks, corner kicks, and penalties. To help him settle in Germany, Marcelinho relocated a large group of family and friends to live with him in three rented apartments in Berlin.

He made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut and helping Hertha win the 2001 and 2002 DFB-Ligapokal, the club's first major trophies since 1990. His most statistically impressive campaign was the 2004–05 season, where he registered 18 goals and 13 assists, helping Hertha secure a fourth-place finish. Notably, in a match against SC Freiburg, he scored a memorable goal from the center circle. His performances earned him a spot in the Hertha Team of the Century in 2003, and in 2005, he became the first non-German in 39 years to win the Berlin Sportsperson of the Year award. On 6 March 2009, Coritiba signed him on a free transfer until the end of the year, as Marcelinho terminated his contract with Flamengo. After the relegation of Coritiba, he re-signed for São Paulo in December 2009. In August 2010, he was loaned to Sport until the end of the 2010 season, and his contract was extended to the end of the 2011 season.

Marcelinho subsequently embarked on a journeyman career, representing Sport, Boa Esporte, Fortaleza, Internacional de Lages (two stints), Joinville, Oeste, Ypiranga de Erechim, Treze, and Portuguesa.

Retirement and return On 15 March 2020, he announced his retirement as a professional player, playing for Perilima against Centro Sportivo Paraibano in the eighth round of the 2020 Campeonato Paraibano; however, eight months later, he changed his mind and rejoined Treze in an effort to help them avoid relegation. He made his first appearance since returning from retirement on 28 November as a half-time substitute in a 1–1 draw with Vila Nova, being substituted himself in the 78th minute.

International goals No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 15 August 2001 Estádio Olímpico Monumental, Porto Alegre, Brazil 1–0 2–0 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification

Managerial career On 10 December 2020, after Treze suffered relegation from the 2020 Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, Marcelinho was appointed manager of the club for the 2021 campaign. Despite a promising start in the 2021 Copa do Nordeste, he could not prevent a drop in performance which saw his side finish fourth in the first stage of the 2021 Campeonato Paraibano, and on 24 May 2021 he was dismissed. He joined Sport-PB as manager in September 2021. He was in role for only 15 days before resigning due to off-field problems. In late October 2021, Marcelinho was announced as the coach of Oeirense for the 2022 season. He was sacked in February 2022 after just six games following a heavy defeat. On 11 March 2022, he was announced as the coach of Treze for a second time.

Honours Campinense Campeonato Paraibano: 1991, 1993

São Paulo

Individual kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2002–03, 2004–05 Bola de Prata: 2009