INCREDIBLE! FLAMENGO HAS A POSITIVE BALANCE IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER WITH THE ARRIVAL OF TITE

Doctor Luiz Antônio Vieira, responsible for Pedro's surgery, commented that the attacker's recovery has been very positive. The surgeon was responsible for reconstructing the anterior cruciate ligament in Pedro's knees — on the right in 2018 and on the left this year. Vieira believes that the player's return will be better than his first injury, which occurred six years ago.

In an interview with 'GE', the doctor, who also operated on Bruno Henrique, detailed the surgical procedure and highlighted the Pedro's physical and psychological qualities and reassured Flamengo fans about the possibility of the striker being present at the Club World Cup, in June next year.

“He was lucky not to have a meniscus injury, so joint rehabilitation is faster. We're still in September, I mean, he'll be there for about eight months, because that's around the time he turns around, between the eighth and ninth month. So I believe he has a chance. He is very dedicated, super focused on rehabilitation, does everything you tell him to, has strong legs, good muscles... I think he has a chance. He will be around the time he would more or less return”, said the doctor.

Luiz Antônio Vieira commented about the way Pedro is mentally dealing with the situation. After suffering the same injury in 2018 to one knee, the attacker now has the anterior cruciate ligament in his other knee torn. The doctor highlighted that Flamengo's Shirt 9 is very calm and sees this as a learning experience for his life.

“He has one good thing: he is quite religious. So he believes that it is part of his life learning, that he had to go through this. He accepted, in a way he resigned himself a little. He said: ‘Doctor, I’ve been through this, I’m going to have to go through it again, it was supposed to be like this, it’s part of my life, let’s face it’. He is super calm about it”, explained Vieira.

In addition, Vieira mentioned the time that Pedro will be able to spend with his twin daughters, who were born just over a month ago.

“He’s at a stage where he just had a baby, right? He has one-month-old twins, so I told him: “Everything in life has a good and a bad side. You will now be able to live with your one-month-old daughters because playing football two or three times a week would be impossible, right”? So let's put it this way, there will be this good part, in quotation marks, of his drama”, concluded the surgeon.

Léo Ortiz is one of the new additions to Dorival Júnior's pre-call for October's FIFA Date. As happened in September, the CBF will use the maximum period of ten days to announce the 23 players who will defend the Seleção against Chile and Peru. However, the preliminary list was already sent to the clubs last Friday. At Flamengo, in addition to Ortiz, there are Fabrício Bruno, Ayrton Lucas and Gerson.

Improvised as a midfielder, Léo Ortiz has been one of Flamengo's highlights in this second half of the year, earning the admiration of the fans. However, in the match against Peñarol, Ortiz was passed over by Tite and started on the bench.

Interestingly, it was Flamengo's current coach who gave Ortiz his first opportunities in the national team. In 2021, the defender was called up for the Copa América, in which Brazil finished as runner-up.

If Ortiz is a surprise, the other three red-and-black players are already household names. Fabrício Bruno and Gerson were in the September squad, and Ayrton Lucas was called up by Dorival Júnior in March.

FIFA regulations allow the 23 players to be defined up to ten days before the presentation, but the clubs that have pre-summoned athletes must be informed 15 days in advance. Therefore, the CBF already notified the clubs on Friday.

Dorival Júnior's official call-up will be announced on September 27th, at the CBF headquarters, in Rio de Janeiro. The players will perform on October 7th, in São Paulo, where they will train at CT Joaquim Grava, from Corinthians, until the 9th, when they will head to Santiago.

Brazil will face Chile away from home in the on October 10th and, on the 15th, they will face Peru at the Mané Garrincha Stadium, in Brasília. Currently, with ten points, the Seleção occupies fifth place in the Qualifiers.

The closing of the Brazilian Championship on December 6th had an unusual outcome: in addition to the match that saw São Paulo victorious over Flamengo 1-0, players from the Brazilian football elite elected, anonymously through a survey carried out by Uol Esporte, Arrascaeta as the most skilled player in the Brasileirão. On the other hand, Fagner, from Corinthians, was considered the most violent by his peers.

ARRASCAETA SHINE IN THE 2023 SEASON

At the end of the 2023 season, Arrascaeta, playing for Flamengo, competed 54 games, scoring 11 goals and providing 13 assists. With a direct participation in 24 of Mais Querido's goals, the number 14 accumulated 3,881 minutes on the field, wearing the Sacred Mantle. Despite a performance hampered by injuries throughout the season, Arrascaeta demonstrated his quality when he was on the field, contributing significantly to the team's performance.

For next year, the expectation is that the Uruguayan player will improve improve its performance. Last season was marked by physical challenges that limited his participation, but the athlete is looking to recover to contribute fully to Flamengo in 2024.

FLAMENGO IN SEARCH FOR REDEMPTION

Flamengo has closed the 2024 season without winning any trophies in seven tournaments played, including the Campeonato Brasileiro, Copa do Brasil, Libertadores and Carioca. Now, the fans and the team, led by Tite, are placing their hopes in Arrascaeta to boost the team's performance and seek redemption in the next challenges.

While Arrascaeta enjoys his well-deserved vacation, the player, who married civilly on December 19th, he is preparing for the wedding party with Camila Bastiani, scheduled for the 29th of this month, in Uruguay. The number 24 is scheduled to return to Flamengo on January 8th, at 2pm (Brasília time), to begin preparations for the next season.

The election of Arrascaeta's own colleagues as the most skilled player in the Campeonato Brasileiro highlights not only his skills on the field, but also the high esteem that his professional colleagues have for his talent. With the 2024 season approaching, the expectation is that Arrascaeta will continue to be a key player in Flamengo's quest for titles and achievements.