A Moreno Martins of legend

If we think of the legends of Bolivian football, surely one of the first names that comes to mind is that of Marcelo Moreno Martins. The attacker is, next to Chumacero, the most recognizable face of current Bolivia and continues to break records with his national team. TO tie obtained against Paraguay from the date to 4 o’clock Qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the player of cruise became the Top scorer of La Verde with 21 goals, beating Joaquín Botero, another of the great references of local football.

Moreno Martins was born in Santa Cruz de la Sierra 33 years ago following the marriage between Mauro Martins, a former Brazilian footballer, with Ruth Moreno, Bolivian. Marcelo He is recognized in Bolivia with his mother’s surname, Moreno, and in Brazil with his father’s, Martins. After emerging in Bolivian football with Oriente Petrolero, with who he debuted in the First Division with only 16 years, Moreno Martins He was called up by the Brazilian U20 team to play a friendly tournament in Tokyo, but never made his official debut., so he chose the Bolivian team to have more opportunities.

At the age of 17 he went to Sport Club Vitória of Brazil and became state champion in 2005 and 2006. His good performances attracted the attention of the big Brazilian clubs and he signed for cruise, where he was top scorer in the 2008 Copa Libertadores and won a local championship. In that period he has already started to take his first steps with the national team. It debuted on September 12, 2007 against Perú, but his first goal was to beg. Moreno Martins debuted as a scorer for Bolivia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela.

Subsequently, he was transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk, becoming the the most expensive Bolivian footballer in history. His sale to the Ukrainian team has ended $ 14 million. But he didn’t stand out and chained two consecutive assignments Werder Bremen Y Wigan that didn’t even report positive things. In 2012 he returned to Brazil and passed the ranks of Guild Y Flamengo before returning to cruise and exit Brazilian champion.

He decided to embark on a new adventure and went to China. There he wore the shirts of Changchun Yatai, Wuhan Zall and Shijiazhuang Ever Bright. In February 2020 it is third stop at Cruzeiro, where is the great reference in attack.

He had a stormy relationship with the Bolivian national team. Despite having won the affection of fans from the start, Moreno Martins has resigned up to twice to wear the La Verde jersey due to disagreements with his technicians. First in 2013 and then in 2015, after statements that did not leave his then coach in a good position, Julio César Baldivieso. When he left office, the striker returned and did not stop scoring goals. In Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifiers, Marcelo is one of the top scorers with 3 goals, one for each game he has played.

Moreno Martins has failed to play a World Cup with Bolivia and La Verde has not played a World Cup since 1994 in the United States. Although all Bolivians know it is a complicated task, as they are one of the lowest level teams in South America, they are counting on their striker’s leadership and goals to qualify for their fourth world championship.