Former Real Madrid and Brazil left-back Marcelo explained why he turned the opportunity to reunite with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
The pair had formed an unstoppable partnership during their time together at Real Madrid up until 2018 when Ronaldo made the switch to Juventus.
Nearly six years after going their separate ways, a potential reunion was about to take place earlier this year, but Marcelo refused the idea of moving to Saudi Arabia.
The Brazilian departed Olympiacos back in February and opted to make his return to boyhood club Fluminense, signing a contract until December of next year.
The 35-year-old has now lifted the lid on the reason behind his decision to snub Al-Nassr and also revealed he had offers from other Saudi Pro League sides.
“We [Marcelo and Ronaldo] talked about this some time ago,” Marcelo said via O Jogo.
“I had some proposals to leave, not just there [Al Nassr], but I needed to return here [Brazil], to my roots. Something told me that I had to go back.”
Al-Nassr’s current setup
While the signing of Marcelo did not come to fruition, Al-Nassr did manage to sign one of Ronaldo’s former teammates in Alex Telles from Manchester United last summer.
Telles has since played an important role in Luis Castro’s lineup this season and has contributed to Al-Nassr’s bright start to the new campaign.
The Riyadh giants are currently challenging for the league title as they trail leaders Al-Hilal by just four points after 13 games.