
Grassroots Soccer
19 Jul 2024 | 11:49 |
In the world of football, the search for new talent is incessant, and Flamengo has invested heavily in the youth categories to discover future stars. Recently, the Rio club drew attention by incorporating young African promises into its youth teams. Two Nigerians, Shola and Hassan, are already part of the under-20 team, and now a Senegalese is emerging in the under-10.
According to Ge, Papa Diop, a Senegalese boy of just 10 years old, has stood out in the IberCup, a grassroots tournament held in Barra da Tijuca, Zona West of Rio de Janeiro. The young player, who measures an impressive 1.76m tall, arrived in Brazil in 2023 together with his father. They settled in Florianópolis, where Papa started playing on a social project team.
FLAMENGO BETTS ON YOUNG NIGERIANS
Papa's trajectory in Brazil He's new, but his football skills are already attracting attention. He began to emerge on the national scene when he played in the Santa Catarina IberLeague, in Florianópolis, last year. Even though he was only nine years old, he played in the under-12 category, facing boys three years older.
Abrão Chehadi, IberLeague licensee from Santa Catarina, was responsible for recommending Papa Diop to Flamengo. According to Chehadi, the age difference and the boy's skill caught the attention of the Rio club's technical observers. "The Pope was with us last year competing in the IberLeague of Santa Catarina, in Florianópolis. He was nine years old, but was playing in the category of three years over, in the under-12. For this reason, we recommended it to the technical observer of Flamengo present in the competition, which immediately brought him already approved for Rio de Janeiro. He is a promise for international football, as he is African and also has a European passport", said Chehadi.
The world champion team against Barcelona meets the team from Baixada Fluminense in Gávea, for the delayed fourth round of the Guanabara Under-20 Cup
17 Set 2025 | 13:32 |
On the morning of this Wednesday (17), Flamengo's young players took to the field to face Nova Iguaçu, in Gávea , for the delayed fourth round of the Taça Guanabara Sub-20. The match, broadcast by Flamengo TV , marked another performance by the world champion team over Barcelona at Maracanã.
Coach Bruno Pivetti fielded Léo Nannetti; Daniel Sales, Iago, João Victor, Gusttavo; João Alves, Pablo, Guilherme; Douglas Telles, Joshua, and Pedro Leão . Several athletes who shone in the world title were on the field, reinforcing the strength of the red-and-black squad in the category.
Despite Flamengo's favoritism, Nova Iguaçu showed organization and made life difficult for the home team . The first half ended in a 0-0 draw, with chances for both sides.
In the second half, Rubro-Negro pushed for a result and only managed to open the scoring in the 32nd minute, when defender Iago converted a penalty with a stoppage, repeating the composure displayed in the final against Barcelona. The narrow 1-0 score remained until the final whistle , but the opponent pressed and threatened Flamengo's goal in the final minutes.
Nova Iguaçu maintained its consistent run of results in the competition. So far, the team hasn't lost a match by more than one goal : they fell to Vasco 2-1 and Botafogo 1-0. Against Flamengo, they once again suffered a heavy defeat.
Garotos do Ninho return to the field this Wednesday morning (17) for the 4th round of the championship and seeks to recover after a sequence of defeats
17 Set 2025 | 09:55 |
Flamengo returns to the field this Wednesday (17) for the Under-20 Carioca Championship. The Crias do Ninho face Nova Iguaçu, at 10 am (Brasília time), in Gávea, in a match valid for the fourth round, previously postponed . The broadcast will be on FlamengoTV.
The match was originally scheduled for August 23, but had to be rescheduled due to Flamengo 's participation in the U-20 World Cup, a competition in which the red-black team beat Barcelona (ESP) and won the title.
After the international triumph, the team is looking to bounce back in the Carioca, having lost two consecutive matches to Vasco and Botafogo . Flamengo currently sits in fifth place with ten points, having won three, drawn two, and lost two.
Nova Iguaçu arrives buoyed by a 1-0 victory over Portuguesa at CT NIFC. The Baixada Fluminense team sits eighth in the standings with seven points and is looking for a win against the world champions to improve its position in the championship.
Mengão continues its restructuring of its youth teams and has signed a 1.94m tall goalkeeper, even though he is only 15 years old.
06 Set 2025 | 19:00 |
Flamengo has signed 15-year-old goalkeeper Nicolas, who previously played for Avaí. Born in February 2010, the young goalkeeper stands 6'4" tall and is projected to grow to 6'7" . According to the FlaZoeiro profile, Flamengo acquired 10% of the player's economic rights, with a purchase option of up to 70%. The transaction value was not disclosed.
Nicolas signed a youth development contract with Flamengo until December 2027 and will strengthen the under-15 team. The goalkeeper caught the attention of the Flamengo youth academy due to his technical and physical performance in Avaí's youth academy.
Going through a period of restructuring, Flamengo remains active in the youth academy market. Recently, the club won its second U-20 World Cup with a historic victory over Barcelona , and is already making significant changes to its roster.
Among the departures, midfielder Lorran was traded to Pisa (ITA), while Matheus Gonçalves signed with Al-Ahli (SAU). As for arrivals, Mais Querido signed striker Guilherme Barbosa , formerly of Internacional, and midfielder Kaio Júnior, who was at Juventude after a stint at Vasco.
In addition to Nícolas, the club also signed midfielder Marcelo Portela, a standout from Botafogo, to bolster the under-15 team. The youngster became famous after a viral move , when he performed a disconcerting dribble on Vini Jr., leaving the Real Madrid star sitting on the floor.