Marcelo Andrés Valencia Saraiva (born 17 May 2002) is a Guatemalan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga Nacional club Comunicaciones.

Marcelo Saraiva
Personal information
Full name Marcelo Andrés Valencia Saraiva
Date of birth (2002-05-17) 17 May 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth Guatemala
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Comunicaciones
Number 31
Youth career
2012–2017 Flamengo
2017–2020 Internacional
2021–2022 Nottingham Forest
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Antigua 6 (0)
2024– Comunicaciones 0 (0)
International career
2019 Guatemala U17 4 (0)
2019– Guatemala 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 January 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 January 2021

Career

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Nottingham Forest

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Saraiva joined the Nottingham Forest under-23's side on 7 January 2021, signing a contract until June 2022.[1] Saraiva had previously played with Brazilian sides Flamengo[2] and Internacional, but left the latter club in September 2020 to pursue opportunities in Europe following a successful application for a Portuguese passport.[3] On 10 June 2022, Nottingham Forest announced that Saraiva would be leaving the club once his contract expired.[4]

International

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Saraiva has represented Guatemala at the under-17 level in 2019, before playing with the senior Guatemala national team against Puerto Rico in the CONCACAF Nations League in November 2019.[3][5]

Personal

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Marcelo is the son of former Brazilian footballer Marcelo Henrique Saraiva and Lourdes Valencia, who belongs to a family of renowned Guatemalan footballers including Everaldo Valencia, who also played for the Guatemala National Team.

References

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  1. ^ Clapson, Sarah (7 January 2021). "Young midfielder Marcelo Saraiva signs for Forest Under-23s". NottinghamshireLive.
  2. ^ "El juvenil Marcelo Saraiva se nacionalizará portugués para jugar en Europa". ESPNdeportes.com. 7 April 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Agente de Gareth Bale ficha al guatemalteco Marcelo Saraiva". ESPN.com.co. 17 September 2020.
  4. ^ Club, Nottingham Forest Football. "Reds confirm retained list". Nottingham Forest Football Club. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Guatemala - M. Saraiva - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.