Marcelo Bravo
{{short description|Argentine footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Marcelo Bravo
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Marcelo René Bravo
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1985|1|10|df=y}}
| birth_place = Lomas de Zamora, Argentina
| death_date =
| death_place =
| currentclub = Vélez Sarsfield (youth manager)
| height = 1.76 m
| position = Left winger
| youthyears1 = 1992–2003
| youthclubs1 = Vélez Sarsfield
| years1 = 2003–2006
| clubs1 = Vélez Sarsfield
| caps1 = 50
| goals1 = 5
| totalcaps = 50
| totalgoals = 5
| nationalyears1 = 2005
| nationalteam1 = Argentina U20
| nationalcaps1 = 5
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| manageryears1 = 2016–
| managerclubs1 = Vélez Sarsfield (youth)
| manageryears2 = 2023
| managerclubs2 = Vélez Sarsfield (interim)
| manageryears3 = 2023
| managerclubs3 = Vélez Sarsfield (interim)
| manageryears4 = 2025
| managerclubs4 = Vélez Sarsfield (interim)
}}
Marcelo René Bravo (born 10 January 1985) is an Argentine former football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the current manager of Vélez Sarsfield's youth categories.
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/deportes/8-96835-2007-12-30.html|title=La esperanza de jugar no la pierdo|publisher=Página/12|date=2007-12-30|accessdate=2010-01-02|language=Spanish}}
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.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}
=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:
{{Quote box
| quote = 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.
| source = Página/12{{cite web|url=http://www.gacemail.com.ar/Detalle.asp?NotaID=4547|title=FÚTBOL. ENTREVISTA CON MARCELO BRAVO, EX JUGADOR DE VÉLEZ SARSFIELD: 'ESTANDO AHORA DEL OTRO LADO, HAY MUCHAS COSAS QUE SE VEN DISTINTAS'|language=Spanish|accessdate=2010-01-02|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531161545/http://www.gacemail.com.ar/Detalle.asp?NotaID=4547|archivedate=2011-05-31}}
}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://velez.com.ar/futbol/notas/2023/02/26/152114_asumen-de-manera-interina|title=Cuerpo Técnico Interino|trans-title=Interim technical staff|publisher=CA Vélez Sarsfield|language=es|date=26 February 2023|accessdate=26 February 2023}}
Honours
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817061438/http://www.futbolxxi.com/Futbolista.aspx?ID=12958&SEOFutbolista=Bravo+Marcelo+Rene |title=Argentine Primera statistics at Fútbol XXI}} {{in lang|es}}
- {{BDFA|25903|Marcelo Rene Bravo}}
{{Vélez Sarsfield managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bravo, Marcelo}}
Category:Footballers from Buenos Aires Province
Category:Argentine men's footballers
Category:Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield footballers
Category:Argentine Primera División players
Category:Men's association football wingers
Category:Argentine football managers