Marcos

Marcos Roberto Silveira dos Reis (born 4 August 1973), known as Marcos, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was the starting goalkeeper of the 2002 FIFA World Cup-winning Brazilian squad and is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest Brazilian goalkeepers of all time.

Marcos spent his entire professional career at Palmeiras in the Série A (and briefly in Série B) from 1992 until his retirement in January 2012, and became one of the club's greatest idols, being nicknamed São Marcos ("Saint Mark" in Portuguese).

Club career

He played for Palmeiras since 1992 and was the first goalkeeper since 1999 after an injury of Velloso, the first-choice goalkeeper at the time. With outstanding performances in the 1999 Copa Libertadores he helped the team conquer the title, after beating Palmeiras' arch rivals Corinthians in the penalty shoot-outs in the quarter-final. Since then he was nicknamed São Marcos. In 2000 once again he faced Corinthians in the Libertadores, this time at the semi-final level, and again eliminated the rivals in the penalty shoot-out. quote="I had the offer, travelled to London, but Palmeiras were going through a tough time in their history, after relegation, and I couldn't play some of the matches due to injury. I had the opportunity to join Arsenal, but this was also a chance for me to show the Palmeiras supporters that what I said about loving the club was true. I didn't want to do what many players do: sign a long contract (with Arsenal) – mine was supposed to be five years – and then tell the club I couldn’t adapt, ask to be loaned out, and still earn the club's money. I don't think it's a nice thing to do. That's why I spoke openly with Arsène Wenger." — —Marcos on why he chose not to join Arsenal in 2002. and actually went to London to sign but then disappeared, leaving Arsenal midfielder and fellow Brazilian, Edu, wondering where he had gone, therefore the deal never happened. When he eventually surfaced, he stated that he would rather play the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B (second division) with Palmeiras than play in any European team just for the money.

In 2008, he helped Palmeiras win the 2008 Campeonato Paulista. Marcos played his 400th match for Palmeiras on 21 September 2008 in a Campeonato Brasileiro Série A match between his club and Vasco.

He was given a special shirt for playing his 400th match. The number 400 was printed on the back, with his name and the writings "O melhor goleiro do Brasil" (The best goalkeeper in Brazil). On the front, all the titles that he has won along with Palmeiras and Brazil's national team are printed.

On 4 January 2012, at the age of 38, Marcos announced his retirement from football, due to his advanced age and the many injuries that marked his career.

After spending his entire 21-year pro career with Palmeiras, Marcos is widely considered one of the team's best players of all-time, alongside Ademir da Guia and Djalma Santos.

International career Marcos debuted for Brazil in a match against Spain on 13 November 1999. Previously, he was included in Brazil's squad for the 1999 Copa América and the 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup as a second-choice goalkeeper. He remained as Brazil's backup goalkeeper as Dida and Rogério Ceni were preferred ahead of him. He became Brazil's starting goalkeeper in the 2001 Copa América and retained that position after the tournament, relegating Dida to the bench.

He was subsequently included in Brazil's squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup as the first-choice goalkeeper, replacing Cláudio Taffarel. He started every game in the tournament and played every minute of Brazil's matches in the tournament. He had four clean sheets, conceded only four goals in seven matches, and helped Brazil win the World Cup for a record fifth time. Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski reported in their book Soccernomics that Marcos spent the entire tournament in severe pain from a prior broken wrist injury that did not properly heal, unable to train fully or even catch the ball in some matches. According to Marcos' agent, Marcos hid the injury from manager Luiz Felipe Scolari through the tournament. Nicknamed São Marcos ("Saint Mark" in Portuguese), he was also known for his penalty–stopping abilities, and is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest Brazilian goalkeepers of all time.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Palmeiras Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 1993, 1994 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B: 2003 Campeonato Paulista: 1993, 1994, 1996, 2008 Copa do Brasil: 1998 Copa Libertadores: 1999; runner-up: 2000 Copa Mercosur: 1998 Brazilian Champions Cup: 2000 Torneio Rio – São Paulo: 1993, 2000 Intercontinental Cup Runners-up: 1999

Brazil U20 South American U-20 Championship: 1992

Brazil FIFA World Cup: 2002 Copa América: 1999 FIFA Confederations Cup: 2005

Individual Copa Libertadores Best Goalkeeper: 1999 Copa Libertadores Final Most Valuable Player: 1999 Copa Libertadores Best Newcomer: 1999 Campeonato Paulista Best Goalkeeper: 1999, 2003, 2008 Copa Mercosur Best Goalkeeper: 1999 Torneio Rio – São Paulo Best Goalkeeper: 2000 Best Latin American Goalkeeper: 1999, 2002 IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper fourth place: 2002 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B Most Valuable Player: 2003 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Goalkeeper of the Year: 2008, 2009