Real Madrid legend Marcelo praises Barcelona attacking duo: ‘Would’ve definitely dribbled past me’ | OneFootball

Speaking in an interview with AS, former Real Madrid and Brazil left-back Marcelo praised Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.

Marcelo, widely regarded as one of the best modern full-backs of the game, never went head-to-head with either Lamine or Raphinha, having left Real Madrid in 2022, before retiring earlier this year.

However, the Brazilian legend has no doubts that Lamine would have dribbled past him if the two had ever crossed paths on a football pitch.

“[He’s] Great. It would be a problem for me. Until my last day as a footballer, I never found a winger who was worse than me. They were always very fast… Lamine would have definitely dribbled past me,” said Marcelo.

Lamine is indeed one of the best dribblers in Europe currently, and has completed 60 successful dribbles in La Liga already this season – the highest by a player in the top five leagues.

On being asked to name his favourite dribbler currently, Marcelo named a Real Madrid youth prospect called Gabri, comparing him to Lamine.

“Right now, there’s a player in Real Madrid’s Juvenil A team called Gabri. He’s top-notch, I like him. He’ll probably make it to the first team because he dribbles impressively, like Lamine, he’s very skilled. And I also love Kvaratskhelia, from PSG,” he said.

The former Brazil international also highlighted his compatriot and Barcelona captain Raphinha, who was a contender for the 2025 Ballon d’Or but ended up finishing fifth in the rankings, much to the bewilderment of many.

“Another great player. Although I don’t know the criteria for the Ballon d’Or… But Raphinha is very good and I hope everything goes perfectly and he wins the World Cup,” said Marcelo.

On being asked to name his favourite dribbler from the past, Marcelo chose Barcelona and Brazil legend Ronaldinho, saying: “He was incredible.”