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Marlon (footballer, born September 1995)
Marlon Santos da Silva Barbosa (born 7 September 1995), known as Marlon or Marlon Santos, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Club careerFluminenseMarlon joined the Fluminense academy at the age of 14;[2] after progressing through the youth ranks, in 2014 he made his debut for Fluminense at the age of 18, in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, versus São Paulo in a 5–2 victory.[3] Marlon ended his first season with 20 league appearances, and played twice in the Copa Sudamericana.[2] Having missed the first part of the 2015 season due to international duty with Brazil U20, Marlon returned for the second half where he played as a starter for Fluminense.[2] He played 24 games in the league.[2] BarcelonaOn 8 June 2016, Marlon signed for Barcelona on a season-long loan.[4] He played as a starter for their B team, helping them gain promotion from the Segunda División B (third division) to the Segunda División (second division) with 27 appearances between the regular season and the promotion play-offs.[2] Marlon made his debut for the first team on 23 November 2016, in a Champions League group stage game against Celtic, coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute for Gerard Piqué.[5] Marlon's La Liga debut came against Las Palmas on 14 May 2017.[2] After impressing on loan, Barcelona activated Marlon's loan clause from Fluminense for €5 million on a four-year contract.[6] Nice (loan)In August 2017, Nice signed Marlon on loan.[7] He made his debut in Ligue 1 against Monaco in a 4–0 win,[8] and played a total of 23 league games.[2] Marlon's loan ended early at the end of the 2017–18 season as manager Patrick Vieira announced that Marlon would no longer form part of his squad.[9] SassuoloOn 16 August 2018, Marlon signed for Serie A club Sassuolo for an initial fee of €6 million with a buy-back clause in Barcelona's favour.[10] Upon 50 games played Sassuolo would owe Barcelona another €6 million.[11] Marlon made his debut on matchday 2 against Cagliari; he was sent out for a second yellow card in added time.[2] Nevertheless, he impressed head coach Roberto De Zerbi who fielded him for 15 consecutive games as a starter without subbing him off.[2] He made 18 appearances in the 2018–19 Serie A season, scoring once against Bologna on 28 October.[2] The following two seasons (2019–20 and 2020–21), Marlon played 47 total games in the league.[2] Shakhtar DonetskOn 22 June 2021, Shakhtar Donetsk announced the signing of Marlon on a five-year contract,[12] where he reunited with former Sassuolo coach De Zerbi.[2] He played 12 league games, and helped Shakhtar win the 2021 Ukrainian Super Cup.[2] Monza (loan)On 5 August 2022, Marlon returned to Serie A, signing for newly-promoted side Monza for one year.[13] He made his debut on 8 August, in a 3–2 Coppa Italia win against Frosinone.[14] Fluminense (loan)On 12 July 2023, Marlon returned to Fluminense on a one-year loan.[15] Los Angeles FCOn 11 September 2024, Marlon joined Los Angeles FC as a free agent.[16] International careerMarlon represented Brazil internationally at the under-20 level at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, helping his side reach the final which they lost after extra time against Serbia.[2] He also played at the 2015 South American U-20 Championship.[2] Style of playMarlon is a centre-back who can play in a back three, either on the left or the right.[2] He is known for his physicality, stamina and heading, and can set up the game from the back with his passing.[2] Serhiy Palkin, CEO of Shakhtar, defined Marlon as "one of the best defenders in Europe technically".[2] Personal lifeMarlon and his girlfriend Maria have two sons, Pedro and João Miguel Santos.[2] Career statistics
HonoursFluminense Barcelona Shakhtar Donetsk Los Angeles FC Brazil U20
References
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