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Qatar 2022: Why is Marcelo not playing for Brazil at the FIFA World Cup?

Marcelo has racked up impressive accolades throughout his time on the field for both his club and nation. Find out why the former Real Madrid left-backwill bemissing from the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

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By martina alcheva

Marcelo of Brazil
© Buda Mendes/Getty ImagesMarcelo of Brazil

Brazilofficially begin theirquest for a first World Cup title in 20 years today, November 24, as they face Serbia in the opening matchday of Group G.The Seleção giants are the highest-ranked squad heading into the 2022 event, and many of the players on manager Tite’s roster are household names who play for the best club clubs in the world.

The goalkeeper Alisson is among the finest in the world, while Marquinhos, who can play with either Thiago Silva’s experience and class or Eder Militao’s quickness in the middle of the defense, is among the greatest of his kind. Also, there is a plethora of ways they may attack, and all of them are formidable. Theyhave a wide variety of scoring options thanks to players like Lucas Paqueta, Raphinha,Vinicius, and evenRicharlison.

Meanwhile, if Neymarscores three more goals, hewould surpass Pele’s record of 77 for most by a Brazilian men’s national team player and the high expectations placed on himwould suddenly seem more reasonable. Dani Alves, at age 39, is the oldest player on the team, yet his friend Marcelo, who plays on the opposite flank, was left off the roster.

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Why is Marcelomissing the Qatar 2022 World Cup?

For both his club and nation, Marcelo has a long list of accomplishments. At 34 years old, the great left-back is far beyond his peak, therefore it was not shocking when Brazil decided not to include him in their World Cup 2022 roster.

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CoachTite‘s newest team is a clear example of his preference for mixing talented andexperiencedplayers; at every position, a young staris vying for a spot alongside an established international.Having just led Real Madrid to another La Liga title, he saw his contract with the Whites run down this summer.

After joining the Greek champions as a free agent in September, the veteran got the most rapturous reception at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium of any other high-profile acquisition.Despite a magnificent 15-year career at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadiumduring which he won 25 major honors, the fullback has been unable to live up to the enormous expectations placed upon him.

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Unfortunately for Marcelo, he has dropped so far down the Olympiacos left-back depth chart that he has yet to start a single game this season.In Brazil’s 2-1 Quarter-Finalsdefeat to Belgium at the 2018 World Cup, Marcelo last suited up for his country. It’s possible that Alex Sandro and Alex Telles’ rise to prominence and Marcelo’s recent slump are to blame for the 34-year-old star’s omission from Brazil’s 2022 Qatar team.

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