Marcos Tavares Jr.
Marcos Tavares is a name known by both older and younger generations in the land beneath the Alps. His era, which will forever be written in golden letters in the history of NK Maribor, has come to an end. Now it is time for the rest of his dynasty to showcase their abilities. Today in our chat, we have an interesting guy who proudly carries his father’s name with the addition of Jr., Marcos Tavares Jr.
At first glance, people think he is a Brazilian, but that’s not entirely true. Therefore, we asked the footballer born in Alor Setar, Malaysia, in 2004, with whom we have the honor of speaking. Is he a Brazilian, Slovenian, or Štajerec? “This is a very easy question; first and foremost, I am 101% Štajerec and a Mariborčan, then Slovenian, and finally a bit Brazilian,” he explains his colorful life journey.
“My father was playing in Malaysia at the time, so I was born there by coincidence, but that’s it. We spent the first few years there and a bit around, but I don’t remember that period. When I was four years old, we moved to Maribor, and that’s where my first memories begin. For me, I would call myself almost a born Mariborčan.” Interestingly, he has never lived in Brazil, where his parents were born. “I only spent holidays there with relatives, while during the year I was normally in Slovenia, where I attended kindergarten, primary, and secondary school.”
Marcos Tavares Jr. in Brazil Only on Holidays
It was immediately clear that he has purple DNA when we provocatively asked what he would do if the Ljubljana strategist Victor Sanchez called him and offered a transfer to the Dragons and the possibility of playing in Europe. “No chance, I’d rather end my career,” he says with a laugh.
His first language is Slovenian, followed by Portuguese, and he also speaks English and a bit of German. “My beginnings were Brazilian since my parents didn’t know the language when they arrived in Maribor, but that changed over the years. I still speak Portuguese with my mother and Slovenian with my father. My younger brother Joshua, who plays for Aluminij, was born in 2008, while my younger sisters, born in 2010, were born here, so our conversational language is Štajerska Slovenščina.”
He attended kindergarten and primary school in Šentilj, where the family lived, and completed secondary economic school in Maribor, where he now also lives in the city center. “In primary school, the teachers helped me adapt as best as possible, but it wasn’t the same in secondary school. One year, I even had a teacher who despised football, which reflected on my grades,” he recalls with a smile.
Despite coming from a football family, he says that his father never pushed him into the sport; on the contrary, they encouraged him to try other things and choose what suited him best. “I started with football, in between my mother took me to gymnastics and a tennis club, but that didn’t suit me. Football was all I had in mind—training, playing, and watching games.” While the older Marcos ruled the fields, the younger Marcos was an attraction in the stands, as he was a very lively child. “I was quite lively, a real little wild one, they still call me that today. I wanted to go to every game so I can say I attended all of my father’s matches—home and away across Europe.”
It’s Hard to Describe the Emotions of That Day
He proudly recounts how one of the unforgettable moments was his father’s goal against Sevilla in the Champions League. Besides that match, he also remembers the unforgettable draw against Chelsea at the Ljudski vrt: “The goal by Agim Ibraimi for the lead and Jasmin Handanović’s save from Eden Hazard’s penalty—this was truly a wild experience for me.” Unsurprisingly, his father is his football idol, but he passionately cheered for every player in the purple jersey: “Not just the number 9; every single person in that lineup was my hero. Watching them was pure enjoyment!”
In the youth selections of Maribor, Marcos Tavares Jr. played 119 matches and scored 51 goals. He also has 3 senior appearances and 1 cup goal against Limbuš. He debuted on May 14, 2022, at his father’s farewell match, where they played the last minutes together: “That first match, especially playing alongside my father, means a lot to me. It’s hard to describe the emotions of that day. I hope and believe many more matches and goals await me. However, I still don’t count the cup goal against Limbuš, when we won 8:0, among those ‘real’ goals.”
He started his last year of youth tenure with impressive statistics, scoring 12 goals in 17 matches. However, the initial plan was different: “At the beginning of the season, I was supposed to join Bistrica and play a full season in the second league. But the qualifications for the youth Champions League came in between, so we assessed that it would be best for me to help the team in Europe. Unfortunately, we were eliminated in the first round by German Mainz with a score of 3:1, and I stayed in Maribor until December.”
This Season the Goal is 10 Goals
In January of this year, he finally went to gain experience with Bistričani and was quite surprised by the difference between youth and senior football. “Honestly, I thought it would be easier than it turned out to be. The biggest difference is in physical strength, so I struggled a bit those first few months. Now, in the new season, it’s much easier for me; coach Robert Pevnik is excellent for working with young players, so I am optimistic about the continuation of the championship.”
He doesn’t regret choosing the 2. SNL over the first youth league, as he believes it will help him adapt and prepare for the challenges ahead in the coming years. His thoughts are with Maribor, as he believes one must first prove oneself at home and not rush into decisions about going abroad, so he does not burden himself with that. “This year I want to score around 10 goals; if I succeed, I’ll take a step forward. I feel good here; the club is based on solid foundations and aims to advance to the first league in a few years. I believe their ambitions match mine, as I know we are fighting for the right goal and not wasting time.”
Every young footballer dreams of the biggest stages. Some rush to foreign clubs early in pursuit of their dreams. Tavares Jr. keeps his feet firmly on the ground. “I know too many young players who rushed into European clubs and returned home disappointed after a year. I listen to this and trust my father 100%, who told me long ago that I’ll only be ready for bigger challenges after I’ve played two good seasons in the Slovenian top league.”
Slovenia is Number One
With a sparkle in his eyes, he talks about his father’s career and hopes to achieve the same success. In one regard, they differ—while the older Tavares shone in the Slovenian league, he, as a younger generation, follows the wider context of football. “In the end, it all comes down to results; the most important thing is that we remain united as a club and not get lost in the politics of Slovenian football.”
He believes Slovenia has a lot of young players who are excellent in the Slovenian league and have potential. It’s great to see them, and he would like to see even more play abroad. He hopes to get a chance there too, but for now, he is focused on the Slovenian league.
At the end of the conversation, we asked him about his current goals: “First, I want to score 10 goals, and then we’ll see. My biggest wish is to break through in Maribor and one day, if the opportunity arises, I want to become a first-league player, followed by a chance in a bigger league abroad. We’ll see how it unfolds; it’s important to take it step by step. I also want to finish my studies, as it’s a good thing to have alongside a football career.”
