Marcelinho ends seven years in Tenerife heading to Dubai

The Brazilian point guard Marcelinho Huertas has concluded a chapter of more than seven years at La Laguna Tenerife with an emotional farewell. His move to Dubai Basketball, where he will compete in the Euroleague for the remainder of the season, marks the end of a period that the player describes as one of the most beautiful and significant of his life, both personally and professionally.

The decision was not easy. Marcelinho acknowledges that it is one of the most complicated he has made in his career, especially to do so in the middle of a season. Over the years, opportunities arose that were hard to refuse, but the player always found reasons to stay on the island. The happiness, recognition, and respect he felt in Tenerife allowed him to postpone other projects until now.

A transformation beyond basketball

What started as a professional destination turned into something much deeper. Tenerife ceased to be just a place to play basketball and became Marcelinho's home. The player acknowledges that when he arrived on the island over seven seasons ago, he never imagined everything that was to come. Neither the players, the club, nor even the most optimistic fans expected what would happen next.

During these years, the team and the player experienced moments of glory and suffering. They won, lost, celebrated, and rose up after difficult situations. They achieved things that will forever remain in the history of the club, but what Marcelinho takes with him goes beyond titles. It is the people. The teammates with whom he shared the court, experiences, and friendships that transcended professional basketball.

The value of the team and family on the court

Marcelinho highlights the great players he has shared a locker room with but emphasizes that the most important thing has been the great human beings. He explicitly mentions Txus Vidorreta, the coach during these years, and Jaka, with whom he maintains a very positive relationship. The coaching staff, medical services, physical trainers, and all the workers were key to making these years wonderful.

The Brazilian point guard is grateful for the care, trust, demands, and the opportunity to be part of something special. He has experienced some of the best years of his life as a player in Tenerife, competing at the highest level with an ambition that never faded. That competitive hunger is what now drives him to accept the challenge in Dubai, which he considers the last great challenge of his career.

In his words to the journalists afterward, Marcelinho explains that he is driven by challenges. That inner flame that has guided him throughout his career is what brings him here. Every time he enters the court, he does so to win, compete, and give his all. In recent years with Tenerife, he has fought to win every possible title, aware that in a competition only one succeeds, and the rest do not achieve their goal.

The emotional impact of the farewell

The connection with the fans was special. Every time he saw the stands full, Marcelinho felt the support and affection of the crowd. Those images will be forever etched in his memory. So many boys and girls, and many not-so-young, wore number 9 and his name on their backs. Seeing so many people identify with a veteran player who still enjoys the game like a child is, in his own words, one of the greatest gifts he has received.

The player had special words for the younger ones: "Never stop dreaming. Work for what excites you. Enjoy the journey, and if one day life puts difficult situations in front of you, it will be because you have come far." If he has managed to inspire even one of them, he believes it will have been worth it.

The people of Tenerife, in the streets, restaurants, and schools, made him feel like one of them. He will never forget that. Tenerife has been his home and a part of him stays here forever. Although life is made of chapters and we cannot always choose how a story ends, what matters is not the ending, but what happened along the way, a journey he has traveled with all of them.

The legacy remains, even as it changes chapters

Marcelinho leaves knowing he has given his all every time he has worn the La Laguna Tenerife jersey. He has the peace of mind that what they have built will remain forever. He will continue to watch the team from another place, celebrating victories, suffering losses, and wishing the best to all the people he cares about so much. There are bonds that are not broken when they leave, places that never stop being home, and stories that, although they change chapters, never truly end.

The last days were complicated for the player. Coming to practice, seeing the faces of his teammates, not being able to tell them anything, playing a game knowing it might be his last at home, without being able to warn people to have a special moment with the fans and coaches, was hard. That ate away at him inside. On Monday, before the training session prior to the trip, he approached some players and shared the news. He spoke with Lakovic in conversations he describes as uncomfortable but necessary, faced with respect and admiration.

Even though he tried to apologize to the team for leaving them in that situation, they all told him he didn’t have to, that he deserved it and had earned it. Marcelinho trusts that the team will continue to do well, as they have shown many times that they are a true team, not one of a single player. A great team, in his own words, that will move forward with the same mentality and hunger that characterizes them.

His last game with La Laguna Tenerife will be against MoraBanc Andorra, a goodbye that becomes a "see you later," as the connection between Marcelinho and the island of Tenerife will remain intact despite the physical distance that now separates them.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Marcelinho cierra siete años en Tenerife rumbo a Dubai