Soccer

EUROPEAN CHAMPION, RODRI BECAME THE SHADOW OF VINÍCIUS JÚNIOR FOR THE BALLON D'OR IN THE SEASON

Spain beat England 2-1 in the final and won the European trophy

On Monday morning (15), the website GOAL released a power ranking (list) that indicates a change in the panorama of the dispute for the Ballon d'Or. After Spain's Eurocup title, Spanish midfielder Rodri emerged as Vinícius Júnior's main opponent for the prize. In addition to emerging as champion, Rodri was also awarded as the best player of the tournament.

In the GOAL rankings, Rodri appears as the current favorite to win the best in the world award, with Vinícius Jr appearing in second place. Some other names on the list are: Jude Bellingham (3˚), Dani Carvajal (4˚) and Lautaro Martínez (5˚).

After the end of the club season in Europe, which had its Closing with the Champions League final, won by Real Madrid, Vinícius Jr was the main favorite to be chosen for the Ballon d'Or. This consensus remained until the beginning of the European Championship and the Copa América, which concluded last Sunday (14), with the respective titles of Spain and Argentina.

Brazil's poor performance in the Copa América, With an elimination for Uruguay in the quarter-finals and a group stage that was not very dominant, the debate about Vinícius Jr's favoritism cooled. In addition, the Seleção's number 7 didn't even play in the match against the Uruguayan team due to a suspension.

Bellingham leaves Rodri out of some “selections”

Before the national team competitions begin, Jude Bellingham, midfielder for Real Madrid and England appeared to be the Brazilian's main competitor. However, both he and the English team underperformed in the European Championship, despite reaching the final. This created space for Rodri to emerge as a strong candidate.

However, despite being voted the best in the Euro, the Spanish midfielder was not among the names present in the famous “selections”. who are chosen by major statistics sites that cover football. Rodri was not present in the best XI of FlashScore, SofaScore and WhoScored. His performance, although good, was rated lower than names like his teammates Dani Olmo, Fábian Ruiz, Lamine Yamal and others.

Rodri comes from a successful season with Manchester City, having won the fourth consecutive Premier League championship with the Citizens and being a key part of Pep Guardiola's team. However, when it comes to performance, he had a season relatively below the previous one (22/23), when they won the treble, with the ultimate crowning achievement being the European Champions League title with a goal from Rodri himself.

At the end of last season, Rodri came in fifth place in the Ballon D'or award, from France Football magazine. On that occasion, he was below two Manchester City teammates: Erling Haaland (2˚) and Kevin De Bruyne (4˚). In this same award, Vinícius Jr finished in sixth place.

Soccer

Despite the nickname "smooth wire", Flamengo's attack dominates the offensive aspect in series A

Rubro-Negro dominates the offensive presence category, leading both in touches in the final third and in expected goals (xG)

Flamengo creates, on average, 3.6 big goal chances per game, although it still wastes two clear opportunities per match, something that, if adjusted

Flamengo continues to demonstrate why it is considered the most feared team in the 2025 Brasileirão. According to a survey by the "DataFut" profile, the Rubro-Negro dominates the offensive presence category, leading both in touches in the final third and in expected goals (xG). In practice, this efficiency translates into the best attack in the competition, with 11 goals scored so far.

The graph reveals that Flamengo is the team that exchanges the most passes in the attacking sector, but the biggest highlight is its ability to transform this possession into real goal opportunities. Rubro-Negro has an impressive 2.2 goals per game, with numbers that reinforce its high offensive quality.

10 of the 11 goals came from shots inside the box;
1 goal was scored from outside the area;
The team also scored 3 headed goals, showing versatility;
The right foot was the main weapon, with 5 goals scored, against 3 with the left leg.

*data collected from Sofascore

Even with a better attack, Flamengo wastes many chances

Flamengo creates, on average, 3.6 big scoring chances per game, although they still waste two clear opportunities per match, something that, if adjusted, could make the team even more lethal.

With 15.2 shots per game (6.2 of which were on target), Filipe Luís' team demonstrates aggression and consistency. The intense offensive movement is also reflected in the number of fouls suffered (11.6 direct shots per game).

Flamengo not only dominates possession and occupies the opponent's field, but also transforms this offensive presence into concrete numbers. Still, the Rubro-Negro can be even more objective due to the number of chances it creates. If this is corrected, it will be very difficult for the Mais Querido to have results like the 0x0 against Vasco.

This Sunday (27), Mengão will have the opportunity to show its offensive power in front of a completely packed Maracanã, with all tickets sold for the duel against Corinthians, at 4 pm, for the sixth round of the Brasileirão.

Soccer

Raul Plassmann reveals behind the scenes of his arrival at Flamengo in its golden age

Former goalkeeper told MengoCast how the unexpected invitation from the Rio de Janeiro club became the key to his career even after his decision to retire

Raul Plassmann recalls in MengoCast how an unexpected call from President Márcio Braga changed his trajectory (Photo / CRF)

An idol of Flamengo during the historic victories of the early 1980s, Raul Plassmann relived one of the most curious moments of his career in football. In an appearance on "MengoCast", the former goalkeeper revealed that he had already retired from his sports career when he received, without prior warning, the news that he would be the new signing for the Rio de Janeiro club . The announcement was made on national television, while he was having dinner with his parents in Curitiba.

The phone will ring soon. Five minutes later, it rang.” - said Raul about his announcement at Flamengo

PLAYER HAD RETURNED TO HIS PARENTS' HOME AFTER QUITTING FOOTBALL

The story begins in 1978. Raul, then 32 years old, decided to end his career after playing for Coritiba, São Paulo and Cruzeiro. According to him, the decision came at a time when he was feeling discouraged about football. “I stopped. Back in Belo Horizonte, I said: 'I don't want to do it anymore'. I took my car and left for Curitiba. I went to live with my parents”, he recalled. Despite his successful career, Raul said that he never dreamed of being a professional player — his initial goal was just to be able to buy a car.

NEWS CATCHES RAUL BY SURPRISE DURING FAMILY DINNER

At home, away from the field, Raul was surprised by a news story while watching Jornal Nacional. “ Fernando Vanucci came on air and said: ‘Raul is Flamengo’s new goalkeeper’” . According to him, silence took over the room. His mother, surprised, asked questions. His father, in shock, just watched. Raul, however, realized that it was not a joke. “I said: ‘The phone is going to ring soon’. Five minutes later, it rang”.

On the other end of the line, Márcio Braga, then president of Flamengo , was direct: “I bought your pass. You show up tomorrow.” Raul , still reluctant, said that he had already stopped playing. But the director insisted, stating that the goalkeeper was now a player for the club. At first, Raul rejected the offer. In addition to his lack of interest, he thought the salary was low and was uncomfortable with the idea of living with the youth players in São Conrado.