Marcelo René Bravo (born 10 January 1985) is a former

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and former player who played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. 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 The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

hypertrophy Hypertrophy is the increase in the volume of an organ or tissue due to the enlargement of its component cells. It is distinguished from hyperplasia, in which the cells remain approximately the same size but increase in number.Updated by Linda J ...

. His illness is similar to the one that cost fellow footballer

Antonio Puerta Antonio José Puerta Pérez (; 26 November 1984 – 28 August 2007) was a Spanish professional footballer who played solely for Sevilla. Mainly a left midfielder who could also operate as an attacking left-back, he died on 28 August 2007 affec ...

's life in 2007.

Playing career

Club

Bravo only played at club level for Vélez Sarsfield in the

Primera División Argentina Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, c ...

. 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 Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...

, 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 Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. He was a substitute in a team where, among others, played

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

Post-playing career

Immediately after retiring, Vélez offered Bravo a position in

Miguel Ángel Russo Miguel Ángel Russo (born 9 April 1956) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current manager of Rosario Central. Playing career Club career Russo was a one club man; ...

's coaching staff. In an interview given in 2006 he stated: 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 Alexander Jesús Medina Reobasco (born 8 August 1978) is a Uruguayan Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He is the current mana ...

left.

Honours

(1): 2005 Clausura

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bravo, Marcelo 1985 births Footballers from Buenos Aires Province Argentine men's footballers Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield footballers Argentine Primera División players Living people Men's association football wingers Argentine football managers Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield managers