| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marcelo dos Santos Cipriano | ||
| Date of birth | October 11, 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Niterói, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Académica | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1988–1991 | Académica | 35 | (5) |
| 1989–1990 | → Sertanense (loan) | ||
| 1991–1992 | Feirense | 31 | (12) |
| 1992–1993 | Gil Vicente | 22 | (3) |
| 1993–1995 | Tirsense | 65 | (26) |
| 1995–1996 | Benfica | 27 | (7) |
| 1996–1997 | Alavés | 23 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Sheffield United | 65 | (25) |
| 1999–2002 | Birmingham City | 77 | (24) |
| 2002 | Walsall | 9 | (1) |
| 2002–2004 | Académica | 30 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Marcelo dos Santos Cipriano (born 11 October 1969), simply Marcelo, is a retired Brazilian-born Portuguese footballer who played as a striker.
He played professionally in Portugal (most notably one season for S.L. Benfica), England (appearing for three Football League Championship squads) and Spain.
Born in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro to Portuguese parents,[1] Marcelo returned to their homeland still in his teens, entering the youth system of Associação Académica de Coimbra, which loaned him to fourth-tier Sertanense F.C. in the 1989 summer.
After one season apiece with Académica and C.D. Feirense in division two, Marcelo made his topflight debuts with Gil Vicente FC, netting three goals for the Barcelos team. His most successful period in his adopted nation would be lived at lowly F.C. Tirsense, which he helped achieve first division promotion in 1994, subsequently scoring 17 times in 1994–95, as the northern side achieved a best-ever eight-place in the competition.
Marcelo's exploits earned him a transfer to national giants S.L. Benfica, finishing his sole season as the Reds' topscorer in the league behind João Vieira Pinto, but the club did not win any silverware. Subsequently, in played one year in the Spanish second division with Deportivo Alavés, going scoreless in nearly 25 league appearances.
In the following five years, Marcelo played in England, starting in 1997 with Sheffield United, which signed the player for a fee of £400,000.[1] In the FA Cup tournament during his first year, he helped take the team to the semifinals, after netting against Coventry City at Highfield Road to set up the (eventually victorious) replay.
Birmingham City acquired Marcelo's services in 1999 for a fee of £500,000.[2] He played on the losing side in the 2001 Football League Cup Final, coming on as a second-half substitute and scoring in the penalty shootout.[3] He ended his career in the country at Walsall,[4] for whom he played nine times and scored once, against Burnley.[5]
At nearly 33, Marcelo returned to Portugal and first professional team Académica, amassing a further 30 first division matches in two seasons, after which he retired from the game.