MGM chooses ex-Benfica player to take over Flamengo scout if he wins the election

Maurício Gomes de Mattos, known as MGM, already has an agreement to hire Helena Costa as responsible for the scouting department, if Flamengo's next president is elected in the December election. The professional, with almost 20 years of experience in observing athletes, has already commanded the sector in renowned clubs such as Celtic (ESC), Eintracht Frankfurt (ALE) and Watford (ING).

Helena is available on the market since leaving the position of “chief scout” at Watford, where he worked from 2022 until the beginning of this year. It is the same position she will assume at Flamengo under MGM management. The information was released by journalist Bruno Andrade, from 'UOL'.

Graduated in Sports Science and initially a coach, Helena began her career in football in Benfica's youth categories. She had her first experience as a scout at Leixões in 2004, but also returned to command teams. Helena Costa coached several women's teams, including 1º de Outubro, Odivelas and the teams of Qatar and Iran.

As a coach, she won two national titles, two Portuguese Cups and one second division title. In 2014, she became the first woman to coach a men's team in France, managing Clermont Foot in the second division.

Her prominence in scouting athletes began in 2012, when she worked at Celtic, in Scotland, and continued with success at Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, where the team left the bottom of the table and won the German Cup in 2018 and the Europa League in the 21/22 season. Helena participated in the signings of players such as Luka Jović, André Silva and Kostić, which were profitable for the club.

Currently commentating games on a Portuguese broadcaster, Helena accepted MGM's invitation to work at Flamengo and also contributed in the preparation of the candidate's Government Plan.

Election in Flamengo

The election to define the next president of Flamengo is scheduled for December 9th , on a Monday, at 8am, in Gávea. Rodrigo Dunshee is the candidate supported by current president Rodolfo Landim, while MGM and Luiz Eduardo Baptista (Bap) are the main opponents so far.

Other candidates such as Wallim Vasconcellos, Pedro Paulo and Delair Dumbrosck also announced their applications. The tickets need to be registered between September 10th and 30th, and there are difficulties in gathering the necessary signatures, which can lead to surprises regarding compliance with the requirements by some candidates.