| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marcelo René Bravo | ||
| Date of birth | January 10, 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Lomas de Zamora, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Left winger (retired) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–2003 | Vélez Sársfield | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2006 | Vélez Sársfield | 50 | (5) |
| Total | 50 | (5) | |
| National team | |||
| 2005 | Argentina U-20 | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Marcelo René Bravo (born January 10, 1985) is a former Argentine football midfielder who retired at the age of 21 after discovering that he suffered from a cardiovascular hypertrophy. He played 50 games with Vélez Sársfield, being a key member of the 2005 Clausura winning squad; and played for the Argentine U-20 national team. Bravo's illness is similar to the one that cost fellow footballer Antonio Puerta's life in 2007.[1]
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Bravo only played at club level for Vélez Sársfield in the Primera División Argentina. He started his professional career in 2003 and retired in 2006, immediately after the club's doctors discovered his illness. He played 16 games and scored 3 goals in Vélez' 2005 Clausura winning campaign, being a regular on the team's left wing. His last game came during the 2006 Apertura in a 6-0 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, where he scored one goal.
Bravo was part of the Argentine under-20 squad that came third in the 2005 South American Youth Championship held in Colombia. He was a substitute in a team where, among others, played Lionel Messi.
Immediately after retiring, Vélez Sársfield offered Bravo a position in Miguel Ángel Russo's coaching staff. He then went on to coach in the club's youth divisions.
In an interview given in 2006 he stated:
On one side, I know that my time as footballer is in the past, however, on the other hand, I confess that I still maintain minimum hope that science could advance and find a solution. I am only 21 years old and with the speed at which science advances you never know what could happen, for example, in three or four years from now.