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Marcelo Moreno wasn't joking when he said last year that he was considering coming out of retirement with an eye on the World Cup with Bolivia.
After being announced last week, he will be presented this Saturday (14th) by Oriente Petrolero.
He will play without receiving a salary as a "gesture of gratitude" to the club that discovered him. And he will try to attract attention to play in the World Cup after two whole years without playing.
He expands the list of veteran and renowned strikers who are attractions in other South American fields beyond the Brazilian ones.
See below more about Marcelo Moreno and, afterwards, the list of the "endless".
🇧🇴 still has the playoffs…
Marcelo Moreno hasn't played since December 17, 2023, when he played his last game for Independiente del Valle.
The same year he bid farewell to the national team of which he is the top scorer.
📸 Ernesto Ryan – 2023 Getty Images
He even returned to Cruzeiro in 2024 for a farewell, but without taking the field.
His Bolivia got the better of Venezuela to secure the seventh position in the South American Qualifiers.
Securing a spot in the intercontinental playoffs.
The first mission will be to get past Suriname on March 26 at the BBVA Stadium in Mexico.
The winning team will try to enter Group I of the World Cup, the same as France, Norway, and Senegal, by facing Iraq on April 1.
La Verde hasn't participated in a World Cup since the 1994 edition in the United States. And they were also in Brazil in 1950.
🇦🇷 Di María (Rosario Central) – 37 years
He is one of the many on the list who returned to his beloved club. A legend of Argentine football, Di María was an idol at Benfica and PSG. And he had a good stint at Real. He returned to Los Canallas last year and took the "League Champion" trophy.
🇦🇷 Vegetti (Cerro Porteño) – 37 years
The "younger" Pirate had a standout stint with Vasco. He left the Cruz-Maltino in search of a bigger contract and as the top scorer of Brazilian football in 2025.
🇦🇷 Cavani (Boca Juniors) – 38 years
After idolizing at Napoli and PSG, Cavani also played for United and Valencia before arriving at Boca in 2023. He stood out the following season but didn't have the best 2025.
🇧🇴 Marcelo Moreno (Oriente Petrolero) – 38 years
The "Arrow" turned professional at Petrolero. He had a good stint at Vitória, became an idol at Cruzeiro, and also played for Grêmio and Flamengo in Brazilian football.
🇨🇴 Falcao García (Millonarios) – 40 years
After great stints at Porto, Atlético de Madrid, and Monaco, Falcao García didn't replicate the performance at the following clubs. He only had good numbers at Galatasaray.
He returned to his first youth club in 2024. And he's still there.
🇨🇴 Hugo Rodallega (Santa Fe) – 40 years
A player with stints at Wigan and Fulham, Rodallega performed well with Bahia between 2021 and 2022. And he became an idol at Independiente Santa Fe with a Colombian title-winning goal.
🇨🇴 Teo Gutierrez (Junior Barranquilla) – 40 years
He is already in his fourth stint at the club that discovered him. He had good seasons at River and Sporting outside Colombia.
🇦🇷 Barcos (Cajamarca) – 41 years
The "first" Pirate to play in Brazilian football – he played for Palmeiras, Grêmio, and Cruzeiro – was defending Alianza Lima alongside Guerrero before embarking on a new adventure in Peruvian football.
🇵🇪 Guerrero (Alianza Lima) – 42 years
The top scorer of the Peruvian national team turned professional at Bayern but had passed through Alianza Lima's youth ranks. And he returned to his beloved club in 2024.
He also had important stints at Hamburg, Corinthians, Flamengo, and Internacional. And he also played (without goals) for Avaí in Brazil.
🇵🇾 Roque Santa Cruz (Nacional-PAR) – 42 years
He is "just" the only player who played in the 2002 World Cup still active.
A product of Olimpia, he had a long career with Bayern and also played for City and Málaga in Europe, for example.
He returned to Paraguay in 2016 to represent Olimpia, went through Libertad, and joined Nacional for this season.
Óscar Cardozo, an idol at Benfica, is also 42 years old and is without a club. But he hasn't officially announced his retirement yet.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
