Real Madrid’s Marcelo: Criticism motivates me

Real Madrid full-back Marcelo has explained how he is motivated by criticism and cited an example from the 2018 Champions League final.

The Brazilian was referencing a comment from Madrid director Jorge Valdano ahead of the European showpiece against Liverpool two years ago, relating to the full-back’s level of performance.

Valdano said on Onda Cero explained how the experienced defender was Madrid’s weak point and Liverpool would target him with Mohamed Salah.

It was unclear if Valdano was actually praising Salah more than criticising Marcelo, but the full-back explains how such comments have motivated him to perform better.

“Some things can hurt you and sometimes criticism can motivate you even more,” Marcelo told a press conference, as cited by Marca.

“100 Champions League games for me? The truth is that it is a proud moment for me to play so many matches for the best club in the world, I am here almost all my life and it is an honour to be here and I hope it is a great game.

“We have to go out to win, we are looking forward to playing this Champions League game, we are looking forward to it and we like to play this kind of games. These matches are the best and we have to win to be up there, we can prepare for it like a final.

“Does the Champions League motivate us more than La Liga? No, it also depends on the matches, it is not a matter of motivating one more.

“We have not won many La Liga titles recently but playing for the Real Madrid badge is something that every child dreams about. I am motivated by the two competitions equally.”

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