Marcelo Or Roberto Carlos

Who was the better left back?

  • Total voters
    227
  • Poll closed .
Marcelo for me. Technique, first touch and his ability on the ball were as good as any top forward. He could have played in a number of positions because he was such a good footballer.

He didn’t have the ability to strike a ball like Carlos, but at his peak, he was a superb athlete too.

I think he was more combative on the defensive side than Carlos too.

It has probably hurt him playing for a much worse Brazil side.
 
Carlos. Marcelo was fantastic too but people are seriously underrating Carlos' defensive capacity and his intelligence on the ball. Whilst his silk level was not as good as Marcelo, it was still a very high skill level in addition to searing pace and genuine goal threat. Easily the better defender.

Put that all together with the greater international resume and equally impressive club career - only one winner. Carlos for me is top 3 left back of all time.
 
I say Marcelo at his peak was more consistent.
Roberto had some pretty terrible games in him at times.
 
I feel Carlos is sometimes slightly overrated in large due to his amazing free kicks (especially THAT free kick). He was obviously very good, but Marcelo is comfortably better in my opinion, especially technically and consistency wise.
 
My favorite Roberto Carlos goal is not the freekick he scored vs France.

Cheat mode again :D

 
Carlos. Nobody dominated a flank the way he did. Brazil had possibly the two best full backs in history at the same time.

Marcelo was better technically, but that was all.
 
Interesting that Marcelo ‘only’ ended his NT career with 58 caps. Who was his competition/the first choice throughout his peak at LB? Filipe Luis has 44… bit interesting that
 
DWelbz19 said:
Interesting that Marcelo ‘only’ ended his NT career with 58 caps. Who was his competition/the first choice throughout his peak at LB? Filipe Luis has 44… bit interesting that
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I always thought Marcelo was a bit meh for the NT.
 
Raees said:
Whilst his silk level was not as good as Marcelo, it was still a very high skill level in addition to searing pace and genuine goal threat. Easily the better defender.
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Thank you!

That's how I rember Carlos.

Marcelo and Alves are way too skillful for a FB, Alves can easily play as a creative CM,, but Carlos' ability on the ball was top class, so was Cafu too, no questions about that.
 
Hard pick. Carlos was more iconic but I think I will go with Marcelo.
 
It's Marcelo but Carlos just had more of a legendary aura to him especially since he played in that amazing Brazil team.

He was also kinda unique in revolutionizing the wing back position, if I am right?
 
I wish we could have a machine to make people younger. Now I would make Carlos a 20 years old. When Carlos retired I would make Marcelo 20 again.

Both were amazing. Imagine you have Carlos and he retires and you replace him with Marcelo. This is what happened at RM. It was truly beautiful while it lasted. They won 8 CL titles combined.
 
RG77 said:
Marcelo.

I haven’t seen any other back (other than Alves) dominate games from that position, his performance against Bayern in the CL was something else.

Brilliant technique, dribble, vision. Had it all. Maybe not great defensively but good enough. Honestly I don’t think it’s even close.
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Yeah that game was a joke. Played like the world's best #10
 
At club level, I don't think there's a right answer to this; different players for different compositions and it speaks volumes for Marcelo that he comfortably holds his own in this discussion.

If looking beyond Madrid, there's only one winner, however.
 
Robert Carlos. He was a monster. His exploits for Brazil put him over the top for me.
 
Fortitude said:
At club level, I don't think there's a right answer to this; different players for different compositions and it speaks volumes for Marcelo that he comfortably holds his own in this discussion.

If looking beyond Madrid, there's only one winner, however.
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To be fair to Marcelo, he didn't have NT teammates like R9, Rivaldo, R10, Kaka (Milan's version).
 
Two great full backs but easily Roberto Carlos. His best years for me were probably at Inter Milan too when he was insanely good. I think Marcelo was actually pretty suspect defensively until the Zidane era, he got torn apart a few times. Carlos only really faded with age but peak Marcelo was excellent, peak Carlos was one of the best.....neither come anywhere close to Maldini as a left back though
 
OmarUnited4ever said:
To be fair to Marcelo, he didn't have NT teammates like R9, Rivaldo, R10, Kaka (Milan's version).
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R.Carlos was a beast in his own right for his NT; arguably better and stronger a performer than for his club. He stands alongside those names, not made by or in debt to any of them.

He and Cafu in tandem are a cheat code before you plop anyone else in a selecao xi.
 
Carlos easily and then Marcelo as his replacement was perfect.

If only we could have this level at United
 
Carlos. Nobody dominated a flank the way he did. Brazil had possibly the two best full backs in history at the same time.

Marcelo was better technically, but that was all.
 
RC was a one-man flank for Madrid between 1998-2002. Marcelo is an absolute beast but a level below.
 
I'd pick Marcelo. For me at his peak the best fullback I've seen
 
Roberto Carlos for Real Madrid
527 games
70 goals
100 assists

Marcelo for Real Madrid
546 games
38 goals
103 assists

Roberto Carlos was clearly the bigger goal threat and they are neck and neck when it comes to assists.
Roberto Carlos was faster, more powerful.
Roberto Carlos won 3 UCL, 1 world cup, 2 copa americas, 1 confederations cup

Marcelo was technically far superior.
Marcelo won 5 UCL, 1 confederations cup

Carlos also was voted 2nd in Fifa World player of the year (1997) and 2 in Ballon d'Or (2002). Make of it want you want, they are both probably top 5 of all time at LB.
 
Woah; no contest; Roberto Carlos.

Marcelo doesn't come even close.
 
OmarUnited4ever said:
Thank you!

That's how I rember Carlos.

Marcelo and Alves are way too skillful for a FB, Alves can easily play as a creative CM,, but Carlos' ability on the ball was top class, so was Cafu too, no questions about that.
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There are many posters in this thread that have simply just not seen Carlos play - only explanation behind the comment that Marcelo is better by a mile or Carlos is technically limited.
 
There used to be a stat that Roberto Carlos was responsible for 33% or 34% of Madrid's goals. Can anyone be arsed finding it? R.Carlos was just as much of a nightmare to contend with offensively as Marcelo, just not via silky finesse.

In fact R.Carlos always had the critique of not being a 'beautiful' fullback by Brazilian standards in his homeland. Luckily, that doesn't matter a jot when discussing better or effectiveness.
 
Carlos was cooler and probably a slightly better defender but Marcelo was filthy on the ball.
 
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