# Marcelo Djaló

Marcelo Amado Djaló Taritolay (born 8 October 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Buriram United. Born in Spain, he represents Guinea-Bissau at international level.

## Club career
### Early career

Born in Barcelona, Spain, Marcelo was a Real Madrid youth graduate. In July 2012, after being released, he went on a trial at Segunda División B's CF Badalona, signing a contract one month later. He made his senior debuts with the latter in the 2012–13 campaign, appearing in 21 matches and scoring two goals, but left in June 2013.
In the summer of 2013, Marcelo moved to Granada CF, being assigned to the reserves also in the third level. On 19 August 2014 he signed for Juventus FC, being immediately loaned back to the Andalusians for one year.
On 14 January 2015, Marcelo made his first team debut, playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–4 away loss against Sevilla FC for the season's Copa del Rey.

### Girona / UCAM Murcia

On 11 July 2015, Marcelo moved to Girona FC, in a season-long loan deal. His debut for the club came on 9 September, where he started and scored a last-minute equalizer in a 2–2 away draw against Gimnàstic de Tarragona for the national cup; his side, however, was knocked out on penalties.
Marcelo failed to make a single league appearance for the club, being only a sixth choice behind Florian Lejeune, Kiko Olivas, Pedro Alcalá, Richy and Carles Mas. On 18 April 2016, he terminated his loan with the Catalans, and immediately joined UCAM Murcia CF on loan until June.

### Lugo

On 7 July, after helping UCAM in the club's first ever promotion to Segunda División, Marcelo signed a two-year deal with CD Lugo. He made his debut in the second tier on 27 August 2016, coming on as a second-half substitute for Carlos Hernández in a 3–3 home draw against Real Zaragoza.
Marcelo scored his first goal in the category on 11 December 2016, netting his team's second in a 3–1 home win against CD Numancia. He contributed with two goals in 25 appearances during the campaign, as his side finished eighth.

### Fulham

Fulham confirmed the signing of Marcelo on 3 July 2017. He signed a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his Fulham debut in an EFL Cup tie against Wycombe Wanderers on 8 August 2017.
On 15 August 2018, Marcelo returned to Spain and its second division after agreeing to a one-year loan deal with Extremadura UD. His loan was cut short on 31 January 2019 after 12 league appearances.

### Return to Lugo

On 27 August 2019, Marcelo returned to Lugo after agreeing to a three-year contract.

### Boavista

On 31 August 2021, he joined Boavista in Portugal, signing a contract until the end of the 2021–22 season, with an option for an additional year. On 18 November 2021, Marcelo's contract with Boavista was terminated for "personal and family reasons".

### Hercules

On 5 August 2022, Marcelo signed a one-year contract with Hércules in the fourth-tier Segunda Federación. On 4 September 2022, in a season opener against Mallorca B, Marcelo suffered a tibia fracture. His knee ligaments were also damaged and the recovery after surgery was expected to last approximately a year.

## International career

Djaló qualified to play for Spain through his birth in Barcelona, Guinea-Bissau through his father, or Argentina through his mother. In March 2019, he accepted a call-up from Guinea-Bissau for a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Mozambique, but did not make his debut.
He made his debut on 8 June 2019 in a friendly against Angola, as a starter. Represented the national team at 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

## Personal life

Djaló was born in Spain, and is of Bissau-Guinean and Argentine descent.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 16 March 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National Cup | National Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Badalona | 2012–13 | Segunda División B | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 2 |
| Granada B | 2013–14 | Segunda División B | 26 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | 0 |
| Granada B | 2014–15 | Segunda División B | 19 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19 | 0 |
| Granada B | Total | Total | 45 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 45 | 0 |
| Granada | 2014–15 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Girona | 2015–16 | Segunda División | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| UCAM Murcia | 2015–16 | Segunda División B | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 |
| Lugo | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 26 | 1 |
| Fulham | 2017–18 | Championship | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Extremadura (loan) | 2018–19 | Segunda División | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 0 |
| Lugo | 2019–20 | Segunda División | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 1 |
| Lugo | 2020–21 | Segunda División | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 0 |
| Lugo | Total | Total | 42 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 45 | 1 |
| Boavista | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| Hércules | 2022–23 | Segunda Federación | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Palencia | 2023–24 | Tercera Federación | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 2 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 182 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 194 | 7 |

### International

    As of match played 5 September 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2019 | 5 | 0 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2021 | 6 | 1 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2024 | 8 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 24 | 1 |
List of international goals scored by Marcelo Djaló :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 26 March 2021 | Mavuso Sports Centre, Manzini, Eswatini | Eswatini | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |