Marcelo had already played in and won three Champions League finals as he prepared to face Liverpool in 2018. At that point, he was already one of the most decorated players of his generation, with four La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey triumphs and three FIFA Club World Cups.
By his own admission, nerves are ‘normal’ in football. But, ahead of meeting Liverpool in Kyiv, the Brazilian experienced something that felt more like ‘suffocating’, for this was a chance to win a third consecutive Champions League and create history.
The weight of pressure attached to it is a big burden to bear.