UNDERSTAND FLAMENGO'S STRATEGY TO KEEP BASE JEWEL NEARBY, OUT OF CURIOUS EYES

One of Flamengo's four reinforcements for the second semester, Charly Alcaraz was entered in the quarter-finals of the Libertadores and will make his debut with the red-black shirt this Thursday, at 7pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, against Peñarol, from Uruguay. The Argentine will have the chance to resume a dream that was interrupted four years ago.

While Flamengo has already won three titles and is looking for an unprecedented fourth in the Libertadores, the most Alcaraz achieved in the competition was reaching the quarterfinals. final in 2020. That season, aged 17, the midfielder played five matches for Racing and was eliminated by Boca Juniors. Racing won the first game 1-0 at El Cilindro, but lost 2-0 at Bombonera.

"I played in the Libertadores with Racing, but playing with Flamengo is a really beautiful challenge. I'm with a lot of desire to face the next phase of the Libertadores, which will be very difficult, but I am very convinced with the group", said the midfielder in his presentation.

That year, without the presence of fans due to the pandemic of Covid-19, Alcaraz was one of the highlights against Flamengo. Racing eliminated Rubro-Negro in the round of 16 after two 1-1 draws, with the Argentine converting the fourth penalty in the penalty shootout. The following year, Alcaraz played just one match in the group stage and, in 2022, he was sold to Southampton, from England.

The biggest signing in Flamengo's history, at a cost of R$110.6 million, Alcaraz arrived at Ninho do Urubu with great expectations. The club's scouting department categorizes market targets into three levels, and the 21-year-old Argentine was on “shelf A” due to his versatility in midfield.

In training during these first weeks at the club , Alcaraz has impressed with his performance. He was suspended against Vasco last Sunday and is now once again an option for Tite, who will define the lineup for this Wednesday's activity. The midfielder promises to intensify the competition for a place in midfield.

At 37 years old, goalkeeper Paulo Victor was announced last Friday (13) as a new reinforcement of Al-Rayyan, from Qatar. Previously, he played for Al-Ettifaq, in Saudi Arabia, where striker Vitinho also plays. Hired last week, Paulo Victor has already made his debut by saving a penalty in the Asian Champions League. Check out.

In the match against Al-Hilal, led by Jorge Jesus, Paulo Victor saved Serbian striker Mitrovic's shot, but were unable to prevent Al-Rayyan's 3-1 defeat. The game took place on Tuesday afternoon (17), at 1 pm (Brasília time). The former Flamengo goalkeeper's contract with the Qatari team runs until the end of next season. Before his time in Saudi football, PV also had a spell at Marítimo, in Portugal.

Paulo Victor arrived against Flamengo at the age of 17, in 2004. He remained at the base until 2009, during which time he was the fourth goalkeeper in the red squad -black in winning the Brazilian Championship. In 2010, he was loaned to América-RJ and, upon returning to Mais Querido, he began to have more opportunities in 2012.

From 2012 to 2016, Paulo Victor was a starter at various times, but lost space with the arrival of Alex Muralha. During his time at Grêmio, where he arrived in 2017, he only took over as a starter in the 2019 season. That year, he became a hero by saving three penalties in the Gaúchão final against Internacional, although he was also the goalkeeper who conceded the five goals in the 5-0 defeat to Flamengo in the Libertadores.

The Flamengo , historically recognized for its strong player training base, has faced a frequent reality in football: the departure of young athletes to rival clubs. The club's youth categories, widely contested and with a constant renewal of talent, mean that not all players are able to pursue a career at Rubro-Negro. This generates significant turnover, with some players transferring to other teams in search of more opportunities.

One of the most recent cases of this movement is that of Levy Benjamin, an athlete who was part of the U13 from Flamengo, but who, around five weeks ago, was announced as a reinforcement for Botafogo. The young player is a promise of Rio football and plays in two positions: attacking midfielder and left-back. The athlete's versatility caught the attention of Alvinegro, who integrated him into their base squad.

This scenario, however, , is not an exception. In total, six players who were in the youth categories of Flamengorecently migrated to Botafogo. The list includes athletes of different age groups and positions. João Gabriel, U-11 right-back, Lorran Egon, U-12 defender, Pietro França, U-12 attacking midfielder, Gustavo, U-13 defender, Levy Benjamin, left-back and U-12 attacking midfielder Sub-13, and Miguel Ramiro, attacker of the Sub-13, are the names that left Flamengo and are now part of Botafogo.

The departure of these young athletes raises a warning for the Flamengo, mainly in relation to competition in the development of Rio football promises. Botafogo, like other clubs in Rio de Janeiro, has invested in attracting talent that, for some reason, does not stick to the red and black base. This phenomenon is common, especially in clubs that have a large number of athletes at the base, which makes it difficult to retain all players who have potential.