LAFC Nears Deal with Ex-Barcelona and Fluminense Defender for MLS Move

What makes a player like Marlon go from a promising career at European giants like Barcelona to being a free agent? It’s like one of those rollercoaster stories every pro athlete knows, but Marlon's ride had some unexpected twists. Now, with Los Angeles FC (LAFC) almost sealing the deal, it looks like he’s about to swap the beaches of Rio de Janeiro for the sun-soaked streets of L.A.

After leaving Shakhtar Donetsk, invoking FIFA's war clause to break his contract and parting ways with Fluminense earlier this year, Marlon spent quite a bit of time on the market—healthy but clubless. He almost signed with Al-Ain in the UAE, but that fell through due to medical issues. So, he kept training in Rio, waiting for another shot.

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And it seems like that shot is coming with LAFC, a team that’s been making some serious moves in the international market lately. I mean, come on, they’ve already got none other than Hugo Lloris in goal and Olivier Giroud leading the attack. Two European legends, guiding a team that’s currently sitting second in the MLS Western Conference. For Marlon, this new challenge might be exactly what he needs to leave behind all the frustrations and uncertainties of the past.

He had a strong start at Fluminense, debuting for the senior squad in 2014, and even got called up to the Olympic team. But he lost his spot when Levir Culpi came in as coach. In 2016, Barcelona signed him, and it seemed like his future was all set in Europe. But despite some interesting stints at European clubs, he never quite stuck.

Now, LAFC might just be the perfect stage for Marlon’s rebirth. Soccer in the U.S. has its own vibe, but it’s growing—and fast. Major League Soccer keeps attracting big-name players, and the fact that Lloris and Giroud are here proves it. For Marlon, playing on a team with that kind of European experience might be the push he needs to regain his confidence and show the world the skilled defender everyone saw back in the day.

After a rough 2023, where injuries limited him to just eight games for Fluminense, and knee surgery made people doubt if he’d ever return to his previous form, Marlon’s hunting for redemption. Fluminense even tried to extend his loan, but he turned it down due to a pay cut. Sure, he had other options on the table, but fate, with its usual ironic twist, had Al-Ain back out at the last minute. That’s where LAFC swoops in. The American club isn’t just offering Marlon a new shot. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a seasoned player like him bounce back with a team that's this promising?

At 29, Marlon’s not too old for a defender. In fact, many center-backs hit their peak right around this time. He’s got the experience, he’s played for big clubs, faced pressure, dealt with injuries, and still found ways to bounce back. Now, in Los Angeles, he can reinvent himself, adapt to a more physical and fast-paced style of play, and bring the defensive stability that some MLS teams are seriously lacking.

LAFC, already fighting for the top spots, hopes Marlon’s arrival will help solidify a defense that could use some tweaks to win the championship. And for Marlon, this is the chance to prove he’s still got it on the international stage, far from the harsh criticism of Fluminense fans who never really forgave him for his mistakes. In fact, the heavy backlash from those fans was one of the reasons he decided to leave.

One interesting angle to this whole deal is the FIFA “war clause” that allowed Marlon to leave Shakhtar Donetsk without any major hassles. This detail highlights how much politics can impact soccer. Amid the war between Russia and Ukraine, FIFA gave foreign players the option to suspend their contracts with clubs in those countries. A bold move, but a necessary one. And Marlon, like many others, took advantage of this to continue his career in Brazil.

In normal times, he’d still be locked into his contract with Shakhtar, but the war changed everything. Now, he’s got a chance to rebuild his path far from the chaos of war, in more stable environments like Brazil—and now the U.S. And let’s be real, playing in Los Angeles, with its sunny beaches and vibrant lifestyle, doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

One day you’re at Barcelona, the next you’re caught in the middle of a war, and then you’re a free agent, fighting to regain your place. But the important thing is how you rise after falling, and Marlon seems to be doing just that. If he seals the deal with LAFC, as all signs indicate, it’ll be a fresh chapter for a player who still has a lot to offer. U.S. soccer is on the rise, and with Marlon in defense, LAFC could be on the verge of taking a big step forward.