Marcelo José Pletsch (born 13 May 1976) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Marcelo Pletsch
Personal information
Full name Marcelo José Pletsch
Date of birth (1976-05-13) 13 May 1976 (age 48)
Place of birth Toledo, Brazil
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998 Ceará - (-)
1999 Oliveira de Frades - (-)
1999–2005 Borussia Mönchengladbach 142 (3)
2005–2006 1. FC Kaiserslautern 22 (1)
2006–2008 Panionios 44 (6)
2008–2009 Omonia 36 (0)
2009–2010 Vojvodina 23 (1)
2011 Cascavel 5 (0)
Total 272 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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In his homeland, Pletsch played with Ceará in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, before moving to Portuguese lower league club Oliveira de Frades.

In summer 1999, he moved to Germany signing with Borussia Mönchengladbach.[1] At Mönchengladbach, he spent the first two seasons in the 2. Bundesliga before playing in the Bundesliga for the following four seasons. During the 2002–03 season, he gained notoriety for a "brutal" foul on Werder Bremen's Markus Daun who was forced out of action for half a year due to injuries sustained.[1][2] In the second half of the 2004–05 season, he was suspended by the club after calling Mönchengladbach a "shitty club" and director of football Christian Hochstätter a "backstabber".[1][3] During his six-year tenure at the club, Pletsch made a total of 142 league appearances and scored three goals.

Subsequently, Pletsch moved to 1. FC Kaiserslautern for the 2005–06 season. After a year of playing in Kaiserslautern, he left Germany and moved to Panionios of the Superleague Greece. Pletsch made 44 league appearances and scored six goals for the club. In January 2008, he transferred to Cypriot side Omonia where he stayed for a year and a half, making 36 league appearances.

In July 2009, it was announced that Pletsch signed a one plus one-year contract for Serbian club Vojvodina. He left them at the end of the 2009–10 season.

In February 2011, Pletsch returned to Brazil after more than a decade to play with Cascavel in the Campeonato Paranaense.

Personal life

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In a May 2011 interview with German sports magazine 11 Freunde, Pletsch stated he was the owner of a pig farm.[4]

In November 2015, he was arrested for drug trafficking after police had seized a truck carrying 793.3 kilograms (1,749 lb; 124 st 13 lb) of marijuana near his hometown Toledo.[5] In October 2016, it was reported that he was sentenced to a prison term of nine years and two months by a court in Curitiba, with the judgment upheld on appeal.[6]

Career statistics

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Club Season League Cup Europe Total Ref.
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1999–2000 2. Bundesliga 28 0 0 0 28 0 [7]
2000–01 26 0 4 0 30 0 [7]
2001–02 Bundesliga 27 0 2 0 29 0 [7]
2002–03 26 2 1 0 0 0 27 2 [7]
2003–04 16 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 [7]
2004–05 19 1 1 0 0 0 20 1 [7]
Total 142 3 8 0 0 0 150 3
1. FC Kaiserslautern 2005–06 Bundesliga 22 1 3 1 0 0 25 2 [7]
Panionios 2006–07 Super League Greece 27 3 1 0 28 3 [7]
2007–08 17 3 2 0 6 0 25 3 [7]
Total 44 6 3 0 6 0 53 6
Omonia 2007–08 Cypriot First Division 13 0 0 0 13 0
2008–09 23 0 6 0 29 0
Total 36 0 6 0 42 0
Vojvodina 2009–10 Serbian SuperLiga 23 1 3 0 0 0 26 1 [8]
Career total 267 11 17 1 12 0 296 12

References

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  1. ^ a b c Foth, Frederik; Vogt, Moritz (5 April 2015). ""Linke Bazille"". 11 Freunde. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  2. ^ Hermanns, Stefan (11 August 2003). "Mit heiligem Zorn". Tagesspiegel (in German). Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Pletsch in Brasilien mit 793 Kilogramm Marihuana erwischt". RP Online (in German). 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  4. ^ ""Nirgendwo war es so gut wie in Deutschland"". 11 Freunde (in German). 12 May 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Trio é preso por tráfico de quase 800 quilos de maconha em Toledo". Marechal News (in Portuguese). 11 November 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Ex-Bundesliga player Marcelo Pletsch imprisoned for drug trafficking". ESPN. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Marcelo Pletsch » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  8. ^ Marcelo Pletsch at Soccerway
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