Back in 2015, a young Brazilian by the name of Marlon Freitas was sent on loan to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers by Fluminense. Freitas played 29 times in total for the Strikers, scoring seven goals and providing three assists. They made it to the semi-finals of the playoffs in the North American Soccer League before losing to the New York Cosmos.
Following his time with the Strikers in the NASL, Freitas had a loan spell with ŠTK Šamorín in Slovakia before other loans to teams in Brazil, including Criciúma and Botafogo-SP. He then joined Atlético Goianiense before signing for Botafogo, where he now serves as club captain.
Freitas will return to the United States with Botafogo to compete at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. Reflecting on his time with Fort Lauderdale on a Zoom call that has been translated from Portuguese, Freitas said, "Playing for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers was an outstanding opportunity for me. I was a young player back then, so I really made the most of it. To come back to the U.S. now to play at such a huge tournament makes me very happy.
"This is a great opportunity not only for me but for the entire club, the players and the fans. I believe the atmosphere will be outstanding. This group will play great matches, and I'm confident it will be a great competition."
Botafogo are in Group B in the Club World Cup. This is regarded as the most difficult group as it also includes the Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain, La Liga side Atlético Madrid and the MLS team, the Seattle Sounders. Freitas is looking forward to playing against these teams. "It used to feel like such a distant thing to play against European clubs. To have this opportunity now with this tournament is a huge responsibility; we are feeling highly motivated.
"I watch a lot of soccer, I like to follow Atlético Madrid, (Diego) Simeone is a great motivator for the players. I watched his documentary, and it will be a difficult game. To face PSG will be a huge challenge, and Seattle will be playing at home, but we from the Botafogo family our used to those sorts of challenges. We are the current Brazilian champions and champions of the Libertadores cup."
Freitas led Botafogo to winning the Copa Libertadores last year. They defeated Atlético Mineiro 3-1 despite being down to 10 men since the second minute when Gregore was sent off. Winning the Libertadores also qualified Botafogo for the Intercontinental Cup. However, they lost to the Liga MX side Pachuca in the second round of that tournament.
Botafogo have an American owner in John Textor, who also has a stake in Crystal Palace, Olympique Lyonnais and RWD Molenbeek. Freitas is impressed with the work that Textor continues to do with Botafogo. "The owner of the club is helping us a lot. He is giving us full support so we can perform the best game possible. I'm sure that he is happy and also anxious. The infrastructure at the club has improved a lot, and there are always people here to help."
The Botafogo captain is keen to continue to motivate his teammates at the Club World Cup. "Dreaming is for free, and I believe in the power of words. I believe in prophesying and believing the things that you say. That is how I like to encourage my friends and clubmates. You need that motivation when you leave home and leave your family."