LIBERTADORES 2024: WILL FLAMENGO BE HEAD OF KEY? CHECK OUT...

Flamengo is guaranteed a place in the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship. In a dominant performance at the Luso-Brasileiro Stadium, the team led by Mário Jorge beat Atlético-MG 4-2, this Monday (14), in the 18th round of the competition. With the result, Rubro-Negro not only maintained its good form, but also mathematically sealed its place in the next phase with one round to spare.

A STRONGER MARKET AT THE BASE

Despite falling behind after Louback's goal, Flamengo quickly responded. In the 31st minute, Guilherme equalized with a rebounded cross. Soon after, Matheus Gonçalves turned the game around with a stunning solo goal. Later in the first half, Iago added a header to extend the lead.

The second half began as the first had ended: with pressure from Flamengo. A Matheus Gonçalves free kick gave Iago his second goal of the match. Atlético-MG pulled one back with a stunning goal from David Kauã, but that was it. Overall, Flamengo had the upper hand.

MATHEUS GONÇALVES HAS PROBLEMS WITH HIS EYESIGHT

Matheus Gonçalves's standout performance came just days after a failed negotiation. The 19-year-old attacking midfielder, whose offer from Cruzeiro was rejected by the club's board , even posted a video on social media hinting that he would remain with the club. On the field, he delivered: a goal, an assist, and technical leadership.

According to the report, the president of the Football Council, Luiz Eduardo Baptista, was decisive in the decision to retain Matheus Gonçalves. Flamengo believes the player still has potential for appreciation, especially with the possibility of a promotion to the professional squad soon.

This Wednesday, Flamengo reunites with a player who almost wore the red-and-black jersey. Deivid Washington, a 19-year-old striker who came through Santos's ranks and signed with Chelsea in 2023, is the favorite to lead the Santos attack against Filipe Luís's team at Vila Belmiro.

The news was reported by the ge portal, which identified the player as a likely starter in the attacking sector. Struggling to find a replacement for Marcos Leonardo, who was sold in 2023, Santos returned to the market in 2025 to bring in Deivid on loan, in an attempt to rediscover a reliable center forward.

FLAMENGO ENCOUNTERS MEETING WITH THE CLUB'S TARGET

In 2024, Flamengo came close to signing Deivid Washington . At the time, the club was looking for options on the market to increase its attacking potential and saw the youngster as an opportunity to strengthen on loan. Marcos Braz, then vice president of football, confirmed the attempted deal with Chelsea.

Despite the insistence, the deal didn't move forward. Talks cooled, and with the change in leadership in the football department, the new club board didn't revive their interest.

INSISTENCE ON NEGOTIATION

The lack of a permanent center forward has been a headache for coach Cleber Xavier. Since Marcos Leonardo's departure, nine different players have been tested as center forward for Peixe. None of them have managed to firmly occupy the position.

In 2025, four players were used in this role: Wendel Silva (formerly of Flamengo), Tiquinho Soares, Luca Meirelles, and Deivid Washington. Of these, Deivid played and scored the most—two goals in 16 matches. In Santos' last friendly against Desportiva Ferroviária, Deivid started and even found the net, although the goal was disallowed for offside.

The negotiation that would have sent Flamengo striker Matheus Gonçalves to Cruzeiro collapsed in the last few hours and is unlikely to happen again. The Rio de Janeiro club decided not to sell the young player after negative internal reactions and a large portion of its fans on social media.

The transfer was on track by the weekend. The Minas Gerais club would pay €3.5 million (R$22 million) to acquire 50% of the player's economic rights. Matheus Gonçalves would arrive in Belo Horizonte to be another option for the Celeste side. This is a special request from Leonardo Jardim during the transfer window.

BUSINESSMEN WILL TRY TO MAKE FLA CHANGE ITS MIND

The veto on Matheus Gonçalves' sale didn't come from Flamengo 's football department. It came from president Bap. In fact, Flamengo's football department never participated in the negotiations. The conversations were always between presidents (Bap and Pedro Lourenço). Matheus Gonçalves' agents will try to reverse the situation, as the player had already agreed and was excited about the transfer.

WITH THE WORD.....

"I was surprised, I wasn't aware of that ( Flamengo gave up on selling). What I was aware of was that BAP and Pedrinho were aligned in the negotiation. If Flamengo doesn't want to sell me, I'll work hard to have opportunities with Filipe Luis," said Matheus Gonçalves.

"Garoto do Ninho", Matheus Gonçalves made his debut for Flamengo's professional team in October 2022, being loaned to Bragantino in 2023. Since Filipe Luís took over as coach of the red-black team, in September last year, the young striker has been used on 21 occasions.

However, Matheus Gonçalves has been losing ground in Flamengo's core squad. The striker's last appearance was in May, in the Copa do Brasil match against Botafogo-PB, when Flamengo played with an alternate team.

Due to the few opportunities, the athlete made a request to Filipe Luís to return to the under-20s, in order to accumulate more minutes on the field. Last Thursday (11), Matheus scored two goals in the draw between Flamengo and Botafogo, for the Brazilian Championship of the category.