Exclusive: Tite rehearses Flamengo with Léo Ortiz, De La Cruz and new attacking duo

In the relationship between Gabigol and coach Tite at Flamengo, only the field is capable of speaking. Between the striker and coach, there is practically no dialogue, and the cold and silent war dictates that only one of them should remain at the club for the season in 2025.

No atmosphere with the coaching staff and also with the squad , Gabriel Barbosa has been convinced to change and airs, but even the clubs that expressed interest in the first half of the year backed away. With a contract at Flamengo until the end of December, Gabigol had offers from Palmeiras, Corinthians and Santos, was mentioned at Grêmio, but did not want to sign a pre-contract with any team.

The expectation was to try to turn things around on top in the second half, otherwise he would end his time at Flamengo like the idol he became, without any fuss.

Tite's arrival last year changed the entire perspective of the striker, who was already in a bad phase previously, and lost his place once and for all to Pedro with the presence of the new coach. With the center forward's recent injury, Tite kept Gabigol at the end of the line, under the argument that Carlinhos and Bruno Henrique perform better in the scheme with a reference man .

Without understanding the criteria, Gabi maintains her dedication to the basic level of professionalism in training, as it is not part of the coach's or the club's plans for a possible renewal. With the chances of a comeback practically buried, the two possible paths are to wait for the election in Flamengo to find out if Tite will remain with the next president; or wait for the end of the contract to freely listen to proposals again. Palmeiras and Santos have not yet given up on the idea, and Bahia appears as an option, as it has good investment capacity.

Retired from the field since 2017, former midfielder Zé Roberto, who had a spell at Flamengoin the 90s, it is looking to buy 90% of SAF from São Bento, a club in São Paulo. According to GE, a meeting scheduled for this Wednesday night (18) could decree the sale of the Sorocaba team to the company Flash Forward, which belongs to the former player.

Zé Roberto is the main name of the company. However, the group also has partners such as former athlete Fransérgio and businessman Tiago Ribeiro (former CEO of Estoril). In addition to Flamengo, Zé played in Brazilian football with the shirts of Palmeiras, Santos and Grêmio. In Europe, the former athlete defended giants such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

The offer is R$130 million, which would be paid in installments. This amount would be invested on a specific basis in the football team and the club’s structure. The project is to take São Bento to the elite of São Paulo football and Brazilian Series B in up to six seasons.

Revelation from Portuguesa-SP, Zé Roberto stood out at Lusa and caught the attention of Real Madrid in 1997. However, the player had difficulty fitting into the Spanish club and was loaned to Flamengo in 1998.

At Flamengo, Zé Roberto was a starter in the Campeonato Carioca competition, entered the field 23 times and aroused the interest of Bayer Leverkusen , leaving Gávea in the same season. As an athlete, the former midfielder also played in the 2006 World Cup for the Brazilian team.

Bruno Henrique, a player who will be a key player for Flamengo in this final stretch of the season due to Pedro's injury, expressed his sadness over his teammate's situation and revealed his desire to "make up" for the support he received from the number 9 in 2022 .

“I hope I can do this, like Pedro did in 2022, when I was away. He was the king of America, he led Flamengo to titles, a very important player, not only on the field, but also outside”, commented Bruno Henrique.

In an interview with ESPN, Bruno Henrique commented on the serious injury de Pedro, highlighting that this type of injury is one of the most feared by professional athletes. He also mentioned that he hopes to repay the attitude of the number 9, who was one of the team's pillars during his absence last year, when he spent a large part of the season away. Now, the situation is reversed, and BH takes on the role of replacing the center forward.

“This injury (ACL) is what every player fears. It's Pedro's second, and faced with a fatality, in training, injuring his knee. It's difficult to understand, right, but we have to accept it”, lamented BH.

Much requested by the fans as As a starter, Pedro faced a dilemma in 2022, performing well but not being frequently selected. With the arrival of Dorival Júnior, the coach responded to the fans' outcry, placing Pedro and Gabigol to play together.

Unfortunately, this change was triggered by the serious injury to Bruno Henrique, which occurred in June of that year, in a match against Cuiabá. After needing to undergo surgery, the number 27 only returned to the pitch in 2023.

With Pedro taking his place, the response was impressive. His numbers in the Libertadores were extraordinary, with more participation in goals than games. Pedro ended that season with 29 goals and ten assists in 59 matches, in addition to winning the title of best player on the continent.

In addition to his individual achievements, the center forward was one of the main names, alongside Gabigol, in winning the Libertadores and Copa do Brasil with Flamengo.