Marcelinho Carioca

Pé de Anjo: The free-kick wizard of Corinthians

Marcelo Pereira Surcin (born 1 February 1971), known as Marcelinho Carioca, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. A technically gifted and prolific goalscoring midfielder, he was known for his vision, passing range, accurate crossing, long-range shooting and ability to find space in attacking positions. He was also noted for his confidence, leadership and capacity to influence decisive moments in matches. Widely regarded as one of the greatest free-kick takers of all time, Marcelinho was nicknamed Pé de Anjo ('Angel's Foot') for the accuracy and variety of his set-piece deliveries.

Quick Facts

Full name: Marcelo Pereira Surcin
Born: 1 January 1971
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Height: 1.68 m / 5 ft 6 in
Position: Attacking midfielder

Lore & Background

Marcelinho had four separate spells at Corinthians, scoring 206 goals in 420 matches for the Timão from 1994 to 2001 and winning eight trophies, including two consecutive national titles and the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in 2000, but never succeeded internationally due to his difficult character and falling-outs with national team coaches.

Reader's Guide

After winning the 1990 Brazilian Cup, 1991 Rio de Janeiro State Championship and 1992 Brazilian National Championship as a Flamengo player, Marcelinho signed his first contract with Corinthians in December 1993. In mid-1997, after winning the Brazilian Cup and the São Paulo State Championship, he was sold to Valencia for US$7,000,000. With Valencia he played 11 games, five in La Liga, and scored one goal. After this spell, he unsuccessfully came back to Corinthians at the end of the year.

Back at Corinthians he was two times champion of the national championship (1998 and 1999), one time state champion (2001), and raised the trophy of the first FIFA Club World Cup in 2000. After conflicts with teammates in mid-2001, he left the squad and later won in court the opportunity to play for Santos FC, where he stayed for six months. In February 2006 he signed a third contract with Corinthians but was released six months later at the request of manager Émerson Leão.

He then played for Santo André until 2009, winning promotion to the Brazilian First Division in 2008 but being relegated the following year. He played a farewell match for Corinthians in early 2010 against Huracán. In 2012, he played four games for the Corinthians beach soccer team.

Did You Know?

Marcelinho made four appearances and scored two goals for the Brazil national team between 1994 and 2001.
He is the all-time official free-kick top goalscorer in football history with 78 goals.
He won the Bola de Ouro in 1999 and the Bola de Prata in 1994, 1999, and 2003.
He was named in the South American Team of the Year in 1998.