"I signed with a cute club called Curicó Unido and it was good for me.nI rediscovered my dreams to play in South America, and as I was only 23, I wanted to play with risk."
 
Even though he thought he closed the door on the Australian opportunity, six months into his contract, Michael Petrillo came to watch Marcos play in Chile. 
 
"We sat there in June and he was asking me to come play for Adelaide United. I wasn't sure, I didn't know anything about the league. There weren't any Argentinians in Australia, there were only eight or nine teams at the time.
 
"I told them I wasn't going to break my contract and if they were still interested at the end of my contract, we will see," he reveals.
 
Marcos admits that while the offer intrigued him, he felt he was still young enough - and good enough - to make it in South America.
 
"It works like this over there - if you play in front of the right people you can play for Real Madrid the next day. Of course, it can work the other way around too - you can play three bad games and your career is over."
 
"But I wanted to take my chance."
 
Nearing the end of Marcos' contract at Curico Unido, Adelaide presented Marcos Flores with yet another contract, one he was still hesitant to accept.
 
"My agent convinced me it was the right thing to do," he says, continuing, "but I know he just wanted to get paid because it was the best option for him."
 
"In the end I accepted the offer from Adelaide United a little disappointed I was leaving South America," he admits, "I felt like my agent was throwing me into the jungle and collecting his money.
 
"Even though it was a beautiful jungle."
 
Today, Marcos speaks of his move to Adelaide United as the best decision he has ever made in his life.
 
"I remember first arriving in Australia - I felt like I was in a movie - with no subtitles! I spoke no English and Cassio - he was my soul mate in Adelaide," he says fondly of the Brazilian fullback.
 
"He helped me a lot, he let me make mistakes, so I could still speak my words. I was always sitting next to Cassio, like his little brother."
 
In his first full season in the A-League, Marcos Flores quickly saw his star rise from unknown foreigner to best player in the country and with such success, inevitably arises great opportunity.
 
"I was given no choice but to go to China - it was the best deal of my career."
 
"But I signed it with a heavy heart - I wanted so badly to stay in Adelaide."
 
"Adelaide United was, and still is, my career highlight."
 
Marcos is clear abour why he made such an immediate impact in Adelaide, both on and off the field.
 
"It was partly my mind, with all the troubles I had in the past, I just wanted to play well every time I went out on the pitch," he says.
 
"And I think the A-League suited me. The philosophy made me a better player - a better person. I became fitter - it was more physical.
 
"I wanted to work like an Australian but play like an Argentinian."
 
As for the connection he had with the fans, Marcos made it his mission to ensure he was as approachable as possible, arranging days where he would kick around a ball with them in his personal time.
 
"I did - I still feel I do - have love for the fans of Adelaide United," he says.
 
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