Cruzeiro: Moreno cries, mentions his father and reveals reason for retirement

Striker Marcelo Moreno returned to Cruzeiro to retire from the field. The player couldn’t hold back his tears and emotions when explaining the reasons that made him decide to hang up his boots. The Bolivian opened up about his game and his heart in an interview this Thursday (28), at Toca da Raposa II, in Belo Horizonte.

“It’s been 20 years, a lot. The film goes by very quickly. There were several important moments in my career, I don’t even know where to start. It’s a very difficult decision, that’s not how we decide to stop playing football”, he began, showing emotion and strong sentimentality.

Revealed by Oriente Petrolero, from Bolivia in 2003, Marcelo Moreno made football his life. The sport provided better financial conditions for the player’s entire family and brought a lot of joy to the athlete himself in relation to the titles he won.

“The work that gave me a better condition, gave me my plate of food. I have always been passionate about football, I still am, I have always given myself and donated myself to football”, she commented.

Loss of father

Despite the positive side that football provided for Marcelo Moreno, the center forward revealed what was a serious blow to his life for him. The loss of his father, Mauro Martins, who passed away at the age of 72, on April 11, 2022.

Moreno was very close to his father. Therefore, the player confided that Mauro Martins’ death changed the striker’s plans in football.

“Life for everyone is difficult, we lose important people, and I lost it. I lost my father, the guy who taught me everything. He left a legacy in my heart. I simply can’t play without it anymore. Life teaches us to be strong. I took this blow and I’m trying to get up,” he said, very emotional.

Mauro Martins was born in São Paulo and later in life moved to Bolivia, where he married and raised his children, including striker Marcelo Moreno.

“It was a very difficult decision (to decide on retirement). Months passed and I couldn’t do it. If I’m not 100% ready to deliver the best of my football to the fans who pay the ticket”, he explained.

Did your family support you?

The decision to retire was not just difficult for Marcelo Moreno. The number 9 revealed that the family also showed difficulty in understanding the player’s wishes.

“It was a unique thing, really from the heart, to tell my family that I was going to stop. Nobody wants to accept it, but in my heart I have already accepted it. I know it’s the right decision. I have a wonderful career and I will continue to do what I want with great passion”, he said.

“I don’t know in what role yet, maybe as a coach, as a director, manager, president, maybe as Ronaldo, let’s see how it goes. As a player, I’m sure it was a very good decision made a long time ago,” he concluded.