LOOK AT THE EX’S LAW! LÉO ORTIZ FACES BRAGANTINO FOR THE FIRST TIME WEARING THE FLAMENGO SHIRT

The match between Red Bull Bragantino and Flamengo this Saturday, 4th, marks the return of defender Léo Ortiz to the Nabi Abi Chedid stadium. The player, who played for Massa Bruta between 2019 and 2024, was signed by Rubro-negro in March this year after long negotiations and returns to Bragança Paulista for the first time wearing the Flamengo shirt. The athlete, in fact, should be a starter in this duel.

Léo Ortiz has his name marked in Bragantino's history. With Massa Bruta, he was champion of the 2019 Brazilian Series B and runner-up of the 2021 Copa Sudamericana. The defender was captain of Braga in recent seasons and was considered by the club as a leader not only on the field, but off the lawns. The player was one of Bragantino's main athletes in recent years. The good performances earned call-ups to the Brazilian team, then led by coach Tite. With the Bragantino shirt, Léo Ortiz played 198 matches and scored 14 goals.

When Tite took over Flamengo, at the end of last year, Léo Ortiz was one of the coach's requests. Rubro-negro waited for the end of the 2023 Brasileirão to start talks, but the negotiations took a long time. Flamengo's initial offer, in the region of 6 million euros, was not accepted by Bragantino. During this period, there was a version war. While people linked to Léo Ortiz stated that there was an agreement with Bragantino that the athlete would be released if he received an offer of around 6 million euros, Massa Bruta claimed that this agreement was only valid for proposals from abroad.

Bragantino also offered the defender a contract renewal proposal, with a salary increase. Léo Ortiz expressed to Braga his desire to go to Flamengo, but the negotiations dragged on. At the beginning of Massa Bruta's pre-season, Léo Ortiz trained separately from the squad awaiting an outcome. Although he trained separately, behind the scenes at Braga the feeling was that the player was not forcing his way out and maintained a professional attitude. After a week of separate training, Léo Ortiz returned to training with the group. The athlete played ten games for Bragantino this season and scored two goals. The last match was against Águilas Doradas, in the second preliminary phase of the Libertadores.

On March 6, Léo Ortiz was announced by Flamengo. The player was signed for 7 million euros (around R$37 million at the price on the day of the agreement) and signed a five-year contract. The amount will be paid off in two years, with four semi-annual installments. If the defender reaches the collective goals, Bragantino will receive an additional 1 million euros. This was the fourth biggest sale in Bragantino's history. It was second only to the negotiations between Claudinho for Zenit-RUS, Natan for Napoli-ITA and Artur for Palmeiras. On the other hand, Léo Ortiz is already the third most expensive defender signed by Flamengo and could reach the top of the ranking if collective goals are achieved and Rubro-negro pays another million euros to Braga.

At Flamengo, Léo Ortiz has been an option on the bench. The athlete only played two matches for the club, one as a starter (against Palestino, for the Libertadores), and scored one goal. For the game against Bragantino, it is likely that he will be a starter, as coach Tite intends to save some players with an eye on the Libertadores match, against Palestino, on Tuesday, 7th, in Chile.