Ulisses, the left-back who eclipsed Marcelo, dies at 39

Former Fluminense left-back Ulisses Alves da Silveira, once tipped to rival Marcelo, died at 39 from a sudden heart attack; his career was derailed by lack of continuity and substance abuse.

Ulisses Alves da Silveira, a former Fluminense academy prospect who once overshadowed a young Marcelo at the club's Xerém training centre, has died at age 39 following a sudden heart attack near his home in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro. Despite early promise and being described as "magical" by his youth coaches, Ulisses's career was marked by inconsistency and struggles with drug addiction. His mother, Veronica da Silva Alves, recently told Globo.com that substance abuse weakened her son, though the family does not directly attribute his death to drugs. Ulisses left behind two sons, Kauã (20) and Caio (17), who are pursuing football careers.