Ex-Corinthians Marlon recalls futsal spell, Fiel's family impact | OneFootball

Even though his spell at Corinthians was brief, defender Marlon holds special memories from the time he wore the black-and-white shirt. Signed for the final stretch of the 2025 season, the player said he experienced some of the most remarkable moments of his futsal career דווקא during the months he played for Timão.

His time at Parque São Jorge lasted from September to December 2025, after Yeesco Futsal — the team he played for before joining Corinthians — ended its activities. At 38, Marlon said he initially did not expect to play for the club, but the opportunity changed his plans for the end of that year.

Photo: Reproduction / Instagram

“When will I return to Corinthians? First, I’ll have to make a little call there and see if they still want me (laughs). But Corinthians was definitely one of the most special things that happened to me last year. They were the three happiest months I had in futsal in 2025. It was something that wasn’t even supposed to happen, because I ended up coming back from Spain in the middle of the year and went to a team in Santa Catarina. If that team hadn’t shut down at the end of the season, I wouldn’t have had the chance to play for Corinthians,” he began in an interview with LNF TV.

At Corinthians, Marlon quickly earned his place in Fernando Malafaia’s squad. The defender played 17 matches, scored seven goals, and added five assists. During that period, he helped the club reach the finals of the National Futsal League (LNF) and the Paulista Championship, competitions in which Timão finished as runner-up.

The player highlighted the welcome he received within the club and emphasized the importance of the Corinthians fans during the team’s run that season.

“I’m very grateful to the entire coaching staff and the directors who made the effort to sign me at the end of that year. I also thank the players, who welcomed me with open arms and helped speed up the adaptation process so I could help the team. As for the fans, I don’t even have words. Corinthians is different in many ways, and the Fiel are the main reason for that. They made a total difference. We kept improving throughout the competition and, with the push we were getting in every match, we grew a lot until we reached the final. Unfortunately, we didn’t become champions, but that does nothing to erase the path we built. That’s what I told everyone in my farewell: we wanted the title, it didn’t happen, but our journey was very beautiful and there was nothing negative left from it.”

Beyond the experience on the court, Marlon’s relationship with Corinthians also left a mark on his family. The athlete shared a story involving his youngest son, who was born while he was playing in Spain, and said that being around the club’s environment made the child develop a bond with Timão.

“There’s a funny story to tell: my second son is two years old now, he was born in Spain, and my wife and I are Grêmio supporters. So, in theory, he should lean toward being a Grêmio fan, an Internacional fan, or even supporting Real Madrid or Barcelona since he was born there. Of course, he’s still very young, but ever since we started going to Parque São Jorge and the arena, when we gave him the uniform, he became fascinated with Corinthians.”

According to the defender, his son’s connection with the black-and-white supporters stood out during the matches and ended up becoming a special memory from his time at the club.

“My wife said that during the games, he kept looking at the crowd the whole time and jumping around. A lot of the time, he spent two straight days at home wearing the Corinthians shirt, and it was a struggle to take it off. He had to take a bath and then put the same clothes back on. It seems we were all set to have a boy from Rio Grande do Sul, then he ended up being born in Spain, but in the end, we’re going to have a Corinthians supporter at home. That shows just how much the Corinthians fans make a difference — they’re captivating. We were very happy that he liked it so much, and we also loved the time we spent in São Paulo, especially at Parque São Jorge.”

After the end of the 2025 season, Marlon did not remain in Corinthians’ squad. The player received an offer from Asian futsal and agreed to a transfer to Selangor, in Malaysia.

His departure was part of a restructuring of Corinthians’ futsal department for 2026, which also included other changes to the squad. Among the players who left the club were wingers Edimar, Igor Carioca, Luisinho, and Luiz Brizzi, pivots Israel Neto and Deives, as well as Deives’ retirement from professional futsal.

For the current season, Corinthians has started betting on a younger squad, with a greater presence of players developed in Parque São Jorge’s youth system. Under Fernando Malafaia, the team has had mixed results across competitions: while it has underperformed in some national tournaments, it has managed to maintain a strong showing in the Paulista Championship. In the state competition, Timão sits second after six matches, with five wins and one draw, totaling 16 points.

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