After the defeat against Corinthians, Flamengo fans ask Tite to resign

Considered one of the gems of the youth team in 2019, 24-year-old center forward Lincoln has already played nationally and internationally, but he came to football very early. Currently at Athletic, a team from Minas Gerais that is preparing to play in Série B, the former Flamengo player is finally putting into practice a 'prophecy' from a former teammate of Mais Querido.

Lincoln is one of Athletic's highlights and seems to have left behind for the first time the 'shadow' of the goal missed in the World Cup final between Liverpool and Flamengo , fulfilling on the field a prediction made by Filipe Luís, current coach of Rubro-Negro, and celebrates the good phase and the opportunity to follow a new path.

" For the first time I managed to get this sequence of at least three consecutive games as a starter in the professional category and then I was able to show what I know.

Since I was 16, I haven't been able to show Lincoln, show my characteristics, because it's very difficult to show that in 10 minutes ," he said.

“ Filipe Luís had told me at the time, 'You need 10 games to show what we see every day in training. From then on, things will get much easier, you will see the game in a different way and then everyone will get to know Lincoln ,' said the former Flamengo player, about Filipe Luís' opinion.

LINCOLN SPEAKS PRAISES FILIPE LUÍS

The young man also states that Filipe Luís's prophecy was not a 'guess' but rather proof of the knowledge that his former club colleague has demonstrated since his playing days. Lincoln also expressed his happiness at the success of the current red-black coach and highlighted that anyone who saw his behavior and Filipe 's perception on a daily basis already knew that he would become a coach.

“ It was already a foregone conclusion. Filipe was already a coach on the field, he could see things that we couldn’t tactically.

He is a very intelligent guy who deserves all the success he is having. He started off very well and it was to be expected. I am very happy for him, he deserves the best .”

NUMBERS IN THE SEASON

So far, Lincoln has made 10 appearances in the 2025 season for Athletic. In addition, the Flamengo player has scored three goals and provided three assists , starting in eight games, four of them consecutive, his longest streak of career.

Despite the defensive improvement under Enzo Maresca , Chelsea , Flamengo 's opponent in the Club World Cup , intends to strengthen its defensive sector in the next transfer window. The Blues are looking for a high-level defender and already have a defined target: Jules Koundé , from Barcelona. The information is from the Catalan newspaper Sport . While the London club is looking for a defender, Mengão is looking for a backup for Arrascaeta .

The London side currently rotate heavily on the right side of defence, with Benoît Badiashile , Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo taking turns alongside left-footed Levi Colwill . The arrival of Koundé would help to solidify the sector.

The Frenchman, who was a target for Chelsea in 2022 before opting for Barcelona, has been playing as a right-back in Catalonia. Despite excelling in the position, he has publicly expressed his preference for playing as a centre-back , something that could be viable at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea is banking on two factors to seduce Koundé

Sport points out that Chelsea has a strategy to try to convince the player to swap Camp Nou for the Premier League:

• Salary increase – Barcelona are facing financial difficulties due to LaLiga’s fair play , which limits their ability to increase their salary. Chelsea, on the other hand, could offer a more financially advantageous contract.
• More chances as a defender – Although he is also an option at full-back, Koundé would have more space in his original role , as Chelsea have Malo Gusto and Reece James on the right wing.

Despite being aware of the English interest, Barcelona do not intend to facilitate the defender's departure . The club is already negotiating a contract renewal and is looking for a new right-back to ease the burden on Koundé, who has played 45 matches this season, starting 35.

Flamengo x Chelsea in the Club World Cup

With Chelsea in Flamengo 's path in the Club World Cup, the possible arrival of Koundé could make the challenge even more complicated for Rubro-Negro. In Group C of the competition, Mengão will also face Esperance de Tunis and an opponent yet to be defined, after León, from Mexico, was excluded from the tournament.

With the dismissal of Mano Menezes , Fluminense is looking for a new coach and is considering hiring Jorge Sampaoli , formerly of Flamengo . According to the newspaper Extra, the name of the Argentine, who spoke in a recent interview about his inspirations , is on the table at Laranjeiras, but his strong temperament could be an obstacle to the deal.

The Tricolor is looking for a coach with good team management skills , a trait that Sampaoli has not always demonstrated in his time in Brazilian football. At Flamengo, the Argentine's work has faced turbulence, especially after an episode in which a member of his coaching staff assaulted striker Pedro . The incident shook the coach's relationship with the squad, culminating in his departure after the team finished runner-up in the Copa do Brasil to São Paulo.

Fluminense has other ex-Flamengo players in its sights

In addition to Sampaoli, Fluminense is also considering other options, such as Luís Castro , formerly of Botafogo. Although the priority is a foreign coach, well-known names in Brazilian football, such as Renato Gaúcho and Dorival Júnior , are also being considered. The expectation is that the choice of the new coach will take place in the next few days.

Sampaoli reveals that he even resigned from Flamengo

In an interview with 'GE', Jorge Sampaoli brought new details about his experience at the club. The Argentine regretted the episode involving his assistant Pablo Fernández and Pedro, one of the most memorable moments of his career at Rubro-Negro, revealing that he even resigned after the case, but the request was rejected by Landim, at the time president of Flamengo .

“That was the end of it all. The team had been growing. We won in Belo Horizonte, which has always been very difficult for Flamengo (...) In fact, I wanted to leave , because it was a fact that changed history. I explained this to the president (Landim), who said 'no, no'. But it wasn't the same . It wasn't because it was something that created a before and after for us”, stated Sampaoli, in an interview with GE.