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What's the story?
FC Pune City captain Marcelo Leite Perreira, or Marcelinho has expressed his desire to play for fellow ISL franchise Kerala Blasters FC in the future. He revealed that the Blasters even tried to sign him but he had already committed to FC Pune City by then.
In case you didn't know...
Marcelinho is a Brazilian forward who began his career with Atletico Madrid B in Spain. He went on to play for Brazilian, Spanish, Greek and Emirati clubs in the course of his career before coming to the ISL as a Delhi Dynamos player in season 3.
Marcelinho was the Golden Boot Award winner in 2016 with 10 goals in 15 matches for the Dynamos.
The heart of the matter
Marcelinho, who has been handed the captain's armband at FC Pune City, has been in exceptional form along with Urugyuan Emiliano Alfaro. Marcelinho's exploits have led FC Pune City to the second spot on the table and the Brazilian has amassed a tally of five goals besides providing four assists.
Before the season, Marcelinho was on the radar of many clubs like his former side Delhi Dynamos, newcomers Jamshedpur FC and last season's runners up, Kerala Blasters. "When I was in Brazil, I had some calls. From Jamshedpur and Delhi (Dynamos). When Kerala (Blasters) called, I had already signed with Pune. They were late," Marcelinho told Goal.com.
Even though Kerala Blasters missed out on signing the mercurial Brazilian this season, they have a chance to get him on board in future. Marcelinho openly expressed his desire to play for the Yellow Army if an opportunity arose and termed it as a big dream.
"When we play against Kerala, we play against a strong team in a strong atmosphere. Kerala are always difficult. For me, they (Manjappada) are the best we have in India. I receive a lot of messages from Kerala fans, they like my goals. I feel very loved here. I feel something different here," he said.
What's next?
Marcelinho's FC Pune City take on Kerala Blasters FC on Thursday at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi as coach David James takes charge of his first game.
Author's take
Marcelinho is perhaps one of the best players that the ISL has seen throughout its course. As Kerala Blasters have a huge fan base, it is understandable that Kochi will always be a desired destination for most of the players.
