After being discharged, the shooting guard traveled alone from Salvador to join the team in Brasília
Marcelinho paid for the ticket out of his own pocket to travel (Credit: Archive)
Marcelo Pires\ RIO DE JANEIRO\
Club hopping in sports has become so commonplace these days that talking about love for one's jersey is almost utopian. Last Sunday, however, point guard Marcelinho proved that every rule has its exception. After experiencing severe intestinal pain on Saturday afternoon, the player underwent a series of tests and, just hours before Flamengo's departure for Brasília—where the club was scheduled to play the following day—he was admitted to a hospital in Salvador with a kidney stone.
"I started feeling pain around lunchtime and thought it was just an upset stomach. But the pain got worse, and we decided to see a doctor. After several tests, we discovered it was a kidney stone," explained Marcelinho, who had never suffered from the problem.
With the problem diagnosed, the plan was for the player to rest and then return to Rio de Janeiro. However, after spending about two hours sedated, Marcelinho woke up pain-free and surprised everyone when he asked the doctor if he was cleared to play.
"When I arrived at the hospital, I told André (the fitness coach) that I wasn't worried about the game anymore, but about my health. But as soon as I woke up, I went to the bathroom to urinate, and I think the stone passed at that moment, because I stopped feeling pain. I immediately told the doctor I wanted to play," said the Brazilian captain.
With the doctor's approval, Marcelinho rushed to the airport, paid for the ticket out of his own pocket, since the team had boarded a few hours earlier, and joined the delegation in Brasília at 20:30 pm.
"This just proves Marcelinho's professionalism. But you can be sure he'll be reimbursed," assured Arnaldo Szpiro, the club's basketball director.
But this wasn't the first time Marcelinho had played with a vengeance. He recalls taking to the court with the flu and even a broken nose.