Legendary Real Madrid defender Marcelo was left in tears after he was given his marching orders for accidentally stomping Argentinos Juniors’ Luciano Sanchez during a Copa Libertadores game in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. The ex-Brazil international, who was representing Fluminense, unintentionally stepped on Sanchez’s leg while attempting to dodge past his opponent. The challenge left Sanchez with a broken leg. Sanchez was taken to a nearby medical clinic for treatment.
He had suffered a dislocated left knee, according to the official Twitter handle of Argentinos Juniors. The Argentine right-back is expected to be out of action for several months. The shocking incident took place in the second half of the tie. Following the tragic incident, Marcelo penned a heartfelt note on Instagram. “Today I had a very difficult moment on the pitch. I unintentionally injured a fellow player. I want to wish him the best possible recovery. All the strength in the world,” Marcelo wrote.
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Marcelo’s club Fluminese also wished for a speedy recovery of Luciano Sanchez. “Fluminense FC expresses its solidarity and wishes speedy recovery to defender Luciano Sánchez, of Argentinos Juniors, injured in an accidental kick in tonight’s game,” read a post shared by the Brazilian club on Instagram.
Sharing their view on the matter, Argentinos Juniors wrote, “We are rivals, not enemies. Thank you Marcelo and to all Fluminense for your concern.” Fluminese coach Fernando Diniz, who is also Brazil’s national team manager, termed the event as “an unfortunate” one. Diniz reportedly said at the press conference that Marcelo did not deserve to be handed a red card.
Argentinos Juniors opened the scoring in the game after Gabriel Avalos found the back of the net with a volley in the 14th minute. The hosts saw their goalkeeper Alexis Martin Arias sent off later in the second half. Arias was substituted by Luciano Heredia until the end of the first leg of the round-of-16 fixture. Fluminese’s Samuel Xavier scored an equaliser with a long-range effort in the dying minutes to bring parity back into the tie. The two teams will be involved in a second-leg tie next Tuesday at the Maracana Stadium. The winner of this tie will earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
Marcelo left Real Madrid last year having capped off his stellar career with the Spanish giants on a high note. Following Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph in 2022, Marcelo announced that he will not continue with Los Blancos anymore. During his glorious stint at Real Madrid, Marcelo won six Spanish league trophies, four Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, two Copa del Reys and five Spanish Super Cups. In the international circuit, the 35-year-old has a Confederations Cup and two Olympic medals under his belt.
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