Retired top scorer Marcelo Moreno eyes Bolivia return, but coach says no | OneFootball

The greatest goal scorer in the history of the Bolivian national team, the already retired Marcelo Martins Moreno, expressed his desire to return to his country’s national team before the intercontinental playoff for the 2026 World Cup, but the coach of La Verde, Óscar Villegas, vetoed him this Wednesday (10).

“I feel good enough to return, let’s see what happens,” said the 38-year-old Bolivian striker in statements published on social media.

The “Flecheiro” (a nickname given in reference to his bow and arrow hand gesture) retired in November 2023 during an official match for his national team against Uruguay, in which his team lost 3-0.

Martins Moreno holds the record for most goals in Bolivia’s history, with 31 goals, and is the player with the most appearances for his country’s national team (108).

“My heart is always with La Verde. What’s left is to talk about what may come next,” declared Martins Moreno. The striker has stated several times that one of his dreams was to play in a World Cup.

The Bolivian national team has rekindled the dream of returning to a World Cup – after its historic and last qualification for the 1994 United States World Cup – by advancing to the intercontinental playoff with a 1-0 victory over Brazil on Tuesday, in El Alto, during the 18th and final round of the South American Qualifiers.

But the striker’s hopes were quickly dashed, with the national team coach, Óscar Villegas, rejecting the possibility just hours later. “He is not an active player, I’m not even thinking about where I could see him,” the coach told the newspaper El Deber.

“I have wishes too. I don’t know, I’d have to see him play to give an opinion, and that doesn’t diminish the great career he’s had,” he added.

The Bolivian striker wore several jerseys, including those of Brazil’s Vitória, Cruzeiro, Grêmio and Flamengo, Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk, Germany’s Werder Bremen, Paraguay’s Cerro Porteño, and Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle, where he retired from football in December 2023.

Bolivia will play two friendlies in October, against Russia and Jordan.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.