A tribute to Marcos Senna - the other Spanish legend who retired last night.

This morning you’ll have woken up to lots of media outlets cavorting over the career of Real Madrid and Spain legend Raul after he bowed out on a high, winning the Woosnam Cup with the New York Cosmos. There’s no doubting the man deserves every bit of praise and every accolade handed to him. However, in amongst the smoke and debris of the New York Cosmos’ celebrations, there was another Spanish legend who hung up his boots after a glittering career. It might not contain as many winners’ medals as that of Raul’s, but Marcos Senna has equally played a major part in Spanish football – domestically and nationally – over the course of his time there.

Born in Brazil, not Spain, Senna spent most of his early career in the lower divisions hoping to be noticed by one of the bigger sides there. That dream came to fruition when Corinthians signed him in 1999 and he immediately helped repay the faith shown in him as they went on to win both the Serie A and Campeonato Paulista that year. Despite finding success there, he soon left Corinthians to join Juventude and later São Caetano. The last of which reached the final of the Copa Libertadores in 2002 although they were beaten on penalties; Senna scored his attempt from 12 yards.

It was that performance in the Copa Libertadores that caught the attention of Villarreal but if it wasn’t for Emerson getting injured, it might have all ended very differently. Javi Mata, who reports on Villarreal for AS amongst others, admits that Marcos Senna wasn’t actually Villarreal’s first choice. “Villarreal originally wanted to sign Gilberto Silva. The deal had been agreed but then Emerson - at Real Madrid - got injured and this left Brazil with just one defensive midfielder for the 2002 World Cup. Gilberto Silva played every game and his performances grabbed the attention of Arsenal and he went there instead.”

Marcos Senna was desperate to try his hand in Europe and while there was an offer on the table to go play in Russia, as soon as Villarreal made the call he didn’t have to think twice about joining the Yellow Submarines. Unfortunately his first two seasons in Spain were disrupted by back-to-back knee injuries. For some that would’ve been enough to quit and go back home and put his failure in Europe down to bad luck – not Senna. “One of the most redeeming qualities of Marcos, throughout his entire time at Villarreal and specifically during his injuries, is how optimistic he is,” says Javi Mata. “He just said, “I’ll come back better” and that was what he did.”

Villarreal had to wait until the summer of the 2004/05 season to finally get a glimpse of a fully fit Marcos Senna in their ranks. The side would compete once again in the Intertoto Cup, the same they’d won last year before without Marcos, and eventually triumphed over Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Villarreal reached the semi-finals of the competition before going out to local rivals Valencia. Senna was the heartbeat of the side.

Marcos Senna’s reputation continued to grow throughout Spain as he set the tempo for each game. Under Pellegrini he was in a Villarreal side that liked to play good, possession football which suited to Senna down to the ground. Most defensive midfielders from Brazil are either tackling machines or ones who fail to curb their natural attacking instrict, but Senna was dfifferent. He was more than capable of providing that shield in front of the defence but he was also remarkably comfortable on the ball, too. While he might not have the passing range of Xabi Alonso, he was no slouch in the passing department and everything went through him. Juan Roman Riquelme’s success at Villarreal can be, in part, contributed to the fact that Senna and Josico did all the hard work behind him so he didn’t have to.

Villarreal continued to grow and reached the Champions League semi-final, losing out to Arsenal on penalties, in the 05/06 season. In the summer Marcos Senna was selected by Spain, after acquiring dual nationality, for the 2006 World Cup and began in the starting XI during the Group Stage of the competition. He came on as a late substitute against France but couldn’t stop them bowing out at the quarter final stage.

A standout performer during the Champions League run meant other clubs were starting to take notice of Marcos Senna and it was around this time when Manchester United came calling. Sir Alex Ferugson himself said, “There is interest in Senna but there is interest in other players too.” Apparently Sir Alex wanted one or two English players in first but when those deals fell through, so did the Senna one.

Senna himself wasn’t too downhearted at the move not working out as he had a special bond with Villarreal – the club even matched the salary Manchester United were offering him. Despite being 30 at the time he played as if he were an 18-year-old. His fitness worries, which blighted the start of his career at Villarreal, had become a distant memory. It made sense for him to carry on in Spain.

2008 was probably the best year of Marcos Senna’s career. Villarreal hit their peak and finished 2nd in the league, finishing behind Real Madrid but an incredible 10 points ahead of 3rd-placed Barcelona. He was picked by Luis Aragones to represent Spain at Euro 2008 and played in every match, forming a formidable partnership alongside Xavi Hernandez as Spain would win their first ever European Championship. He was named in the Team of the Tournament by UEFA. It was the crowning moment his career deserved.

He continued to perform at a high standard at Villarreal but was overlooked for Spain’s 2010 World Cup team, probably due to his age. Despite being 34 it felt harsh to exclude him after how crucial a role he’d played in the Euros but Vicent del Bosque’s victory in South Africa meant it was a moot point.

Unfortunately the wheels began to come off at Villarreal and despite a star-studded squad they found themselves relegated in the 11/12 season. Plenty speculated Marcos Senna would use this as a chance to abandon ship but while most did leave, he decided he wanted to help them gain promotion – and he did just that. Following promotion and after 11 years at the club Marcos decided he wanted a new challenge in New York.

His adventure in New York has been largely been successful, culminating in another Cup victory last night. He’s enjoyed his time in America but his heart belongs in Castellon. His family are already back in Spain and he’s set to fly home next week. There’s talk of Senna being offered a role at Villarreal so the relationship can continue from where it left off.

Xavi Sidro who presents various shows on Radio Castellon-Cadena SER said this of Marcos Senna’s time at Villarreal: “He’s a key man in the recent history of Villarreal - a great captain. He’s a footballer that represents the evolution of the club and who played a key part in its greatest achievements. He was an incredible player and is an even better person.”

Two legends retired from football last night and both are equally deserving of the headlines that come their way - just don’t forget about Marcos Senna, as no one in Spain has.