Palmeiras announced this Sunday the signing of defensive midfielder Marlon Freitas, who in the last three seasons represented Botafogo and was actually the captain. The news had been circulating since Christmas Day and the process moved quickly.
At 30 years old, Marlon signed until the end of 2028. He won the Brazilian Championship and the 2024 Libertadores with coach Artur Jorge.
«It’s a huge opportunity in my career, I’m very happy to be here and to be part of the Palmeiras Family. I am convinced that this marriage has already worked and that it will be a successful year for us. I’m looking forward to playing at Allianz Parque with the fans, meeting my teammates, the staff and understanding how the club works. Everyone spoke very well, I’m very happy to be here”, he said, changing the new coach, ex-FC Porto Martín Anselmi, for Abel Ferreira.
Trained at Fluminense, Marlon played all over the world, from Fort Lauderdale Strikers (USA) and Samorín (Slovakia), as well as stints at Criciúma (2018) and Botafogo-SP (2019). Between 2020 and 2022, the midfielder played more than a hundred games for Atlético-GO, where he was an undisputed starter and won two state championships.
At Botafogo, he played 186 games and scored five goals.
According to Globoesporte, negotiations were quick after Palmeiras made a proposal of 5 million euros to Botafogo, which held 90% of the player’s economic rights – Marlon, who had a contract until December 2026, gave up the 10% to which he was entitled to facilitate the deal.
