Marcelo Mattos

A Brazilian footballer Marcelo de Mattos Terra acts as a midfielder for Botafogo. He was born on 10 February 1984.

In 1997, Marcelo entered the youth department of Mirassol from the Brazil third division. There he spent a year and grabbed a pro contract with the club. In 2001, the midfielder participated at the FIFA U-17 World Championship, where he was noticed by the scouts from Japan. The representatives of FC Tokyo were deeply impressed by his game and offered him a contract. Mattos took the proposal and moved to the club. After making a single appearance for the main team, the footballer was scouted by another Japanese club – Oita Trinita.

In 2003, Marcelo joined São Caetano. He won the 2004 São Paulo State League under the club’s flag. In 2005, he was scouted by Corinthians Paulista. Further honors followed, the team won the 2005 Brazilian League and the player was awarded with the 2005 Brazilian Bola de Prata (Golden Ball). Such a success was noticed by the Greek team Panathinaikos. In 2007, a four-year contract was signed for a fee of €3 million. In 2009, a year-long loan at Corinthians followed. Marcelo made 18 appearances and netted 2 balls for the temporary squad. In 2010, the midfielder was loaned out by Botafogo. He managed a good season with the main team, appearing 25 times and scoring once for the club. The head coach was impressed by the footballer’s performance and the contract on permanent basis was penned in 2011. Mattos’s already featured in more than 30 fixtures for the Brazilian team.