Marcelo Bravo

Marcelo René Bravo (born 10 January 1985) is a former Argentine football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of Vélez Sarsfield's youth categories.

Marcelo Bravo
Personal information
Full name Marcelo René Bravo
Date of birth (1985-01-10) 10 January 1985
Place of birth Lomas de Zamora, Argentina
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Left winger
Team information
Current team
 Vélez Sarsfield (youth manager)
Youth career
1992–2003 Vélez Sarsfield
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Vélez Sarsfield 50 (5)
Total 50 (5)
International career
2005 Argentina U20 5 (0)
Managerial career
2016– Vélez Sarsfield (youth)
2023 Vélez Sarsfield (interim)
2023 Vélez Sarsfield (interim)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bravo played 50 games with Vélez Sarsfield, being a key member of the 2005 Clausura winning squad, and played for the Argentine U-20 national team before retiring at the age of 21 after discovering that he suffered from a cardiovascular hypertrophy. His illness is similar to the one that cost fellow footballer Antonio Puerta's life in 2007.[1]

Playing career

Club

Bravo only played at club level for Vélez Sarsfield in the Primera División Argentina. He started his professional career in 2003 and retired in 2006, immediately after the club's doctors discovered his illness. He played 16 games and scored 3 goals in Vélez' 2005 Clausura winning campaign, being a regular on the team's left wing. His last game came during the 2006 Apertura in a 6-0 victory over Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, where he scored one goal.

International

Bravo was part of the Argentine under-20 squad that came third in the 2005 South American Youth Championship held in Colombia. He was a substitute in a team where, among others, played Lionel Messi.

Post-playing career

Immediately after retiring, Vélez offered Bravo a position in Miguel Ángel Russo's coaching staff. In an interview given in 2006 he stated:

On one side, I know that my time as footballer is in the past, however, on the other hand, I confess that I still maintain minimum hope that science could advance and find a solution. I am only 21 years old and with the speed at which science advances you never know what could happen, for example, in three or four years from now.

Página/12[2]

He then went on to coach in Vélez's youth divisions.

On 26 February 2023, Bravo and Hernán Manrique were named interim managers of Vélez, after Alexander Medina left.[3]

Honours

See also

References
  1. "La esperanza de jugar no la pierdo" (in Spanish). Página/12. 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  2. "FÚTBOL. ENTREVISTA CON MARCELO BRAVO, EX JUGADOR DE VÉLEZ SARSFIELD: 'ESTANDO AHORA DEL OTRO LADO, HAY MUCHAS COSAS QUE SE VEN DISTINTAS'" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2010-01-02.
  3. "Cuerpo Técnico Interino" [Interim technical staff] (in Spanish). CA Vélez Sarsfield. 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
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