Football Daily | Marcelinho Paraíba: the busy Brazilian managing two clubs at once

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Across a playing career that lasted a quite astonishing 29 years, the Brazilian footballer Marcelinho Paraíba represented enough clubs to fill two different golf bags, including spells of varying length and distinction at well known European outfits such as Marseille, Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin and Trabzonspor. Capped five times for his country and nicknamed after the state in which he was born to distinguish him from the plethora of other Marcelinhos who seem to roll off the jogo bonito assembly line with monotonous regularity, the 49-year-old midfielder represented 26 different teams as a player but crucially never attempted to line up for two separate clubs at the same time. Marcelinho the manager, however, is a far more ambitious man and in the space of 24 hours over the weekend was unveiled as the new Mister of two different teams, from two different divisions in two different Brazilian states.

I don’t think it was wrong. We thought that Viní was the winner that year. It doesn’t mean we don’t respect Rodri because he is a fantastic player” – Carlo Ancelotti insists it was completely normal behaviour for Real Madrid to collectively throw their toys out of the pram and boycott the 2024 Ballon d’Or.

Thanks to Alexandra Topping for her emotional article about Goodison Park (yesterday’s Still Want More, full email edition). It moved me to tears. As a 63-year-old Falkirk fan, I can still remember being lifted over the turnstile as a child by my dad at our former ground, Brockville Park. Indeed, when he passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 90, I began my eulogy at his funeral by recounting those days and then reassuring those present that, as lifelong Falkirk fans, they could relax as I was used to crying in public, which I then duly did” – Gary McGregor.

We see your FA Cup and Scottish Cup giant-killings (yesterday’s Football Daily) and raise you the Canadian equivalent. Cavalry FC play at an equestrian arena in Calgary, Alberta, and didn’t exist as recently as 2018. We were drawn to face Mexican giants Pumas Unam in the Concacaf Cup this past Thursday. The first leg had to take place 700km away from said arena in slightly warmer Langford, British Columbia, as current temperatures in Calgary hover around -20C. Most Cavalry fans couldn’t make the journey. We won” – Jonathan Alphonsus.

Having started supporting home-city club Newcastle United in 1953, I abandoned them after the last takeover. All I’ve got left are Berwick Rangers, once the only English team in the Scottish League and currently not far off the bottom of the Lowland League. A framed certificate of my loyalty-proving 25 £1 shares in the Borderers hangs on my toilet wall” – Nigel Robson.

Hoping to be the first of 1,057 pedants to tell David Fryer (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) that Grantham Town’s most likely destination is the United Counties League Premier Division North, known for sponsorship reasons as the GCE Hire Fleet Limited United Counties Football League Premier Division North. With 11 points to safety and an extra game played, you might need to get used to it” – Alan Terlep (and no others).

The size of the goals on Hackney Marshes (yesterday’s Memory Lane, full email edition) were as much of a lottery as the number of players you’d have at kick-off or what time the ref might turn up. It all depended how much rubbish was in the metal holes and how far down you could push the goalposts. The more rubbish, the higher (and more precarious) the crossbar. And the better the excuse when you got beaten from distance” – Dan Ashley.

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