On 21 June 2015 at the Estadio de Gran Canaria, Marcelo Silva came on for Roque Mesa in the 88th minute. UD Las Palmas were beating Real Zaragoza 2-0 in the second leg of the Spanish second division play-off final. After a 3-1 defeat in the first leg, the result sent the Canary Islands club up to La Liga on away goals. For the Uruguayan centre-back, it was a second play-off promotion in three years. Marcelo Andrés Silva Fernández was born in Uruguay on 21 March 1989. He played seven seasons in Spain, for four clubs, and another seven in MLS with Real Salt Lake.
Youth career and debut at Danubio
Silva came through the youth system at Danubio, one of Montevideo's best-known academy clubs. He made his first-division debut on 13 September 2009 against Liverpool of Montevideo. His first goal came on 5 December that year, in a 2-0 home win over Central Español. He made 19 league appearances for Danubio in 2009-10 and scored three goals, a high total for a central defender. At 1.85 metres, he was strong in the air at both ends of the pitch.
Uruguay Under-20s
In 2009 he also became a regular for Uruguay's Under-20 side. He played at the South American Youth Championship in Venezuela, where Uruguay qualified for the age-group World Cup. Later that year he went with the squad to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. La Celeste got through the group stage and went out in the round of 16. He won 11 caps at Under-20 level and scored once. He never played for the senior national team.
Almería and a loan at Peñarol
On 24 July 2010 he joined UD Almería for an undisclosed fee. His La Liga debut came on 18 September 2010, a 1-0 defeat away to Espanyol. His first goal in Spain was also against Espanyol, on 5 February 2011, in a 3-2 home win. Almería were relegated at the end of that season. In February 2012 he returned to Uruguay on loan at Peñarol. He scored twice in 11 league games there and played two Copa Libertadores matches.
Back at Almería for 2012-13, he made 20 league appearances, mostly as a backup at centre-back, and scored against Sabadell. That season the Andalusian club won promotion to La Liga through the play-offs. In all, he made 45 league appearances for Almería over four seasons: two in the top flight and two in the second tier. On 1 August 2014 he terminated his contract with the club.
Las Palmas, Valladolid and Zaragoza
A few hours after leaving Almería, he signed for UD Las Palmas. In 2014-15 he made 23 league appearances and scored once. That goal came in January 2015 against Real Zaragoza, in a 3-1 win, with a shot from inside the box after a set piece. It was the same ground and the same opponent as the June play-off final that earned Las Palmas promotion.
He did not stay with the club in La Liga. On 22 July 2015 he joined Real Valladolid, playing 31 league games in the second tier and scoring once. On 16 July 2016 he signed a one-year deal with Real Zaragoza. At La Romareda he made 35 league appearances and scored one goal in 2016-17. That season he was one of the dressing room's leading voices during a difficult year for the club. By the time he left Spain, he had made 134 competitive appearances across the top two divisions.
Seven seasons at Real Salt Lake
On 3 July 2017 he signed with MLS club Real Salt Lake. In 2018 he played one game on loan at Real Monarchs, the club's USL affiliate. After that he became a fixture at the heart of the Utah side's defence. The club re-signed him several times, ahead of the 2020 season and again in December 2022. His best year in MLS was 2022: 32 appearances, all starts, and 2,895 minutes, career highs in the league.
In April 2024 he was injured in training. He stepped on a ball and fell awkwardly, tearing the hamstring attachment away from the femur. The club expected four to six months of rehabilitation without surgery. He played only three games that year. In November 2024, Real Salt Lake announced that his time with the club would end with the season. He left after 131 appearances and 124 starts over seven seasons, with four league goals.
