Soccer

Close to the historic mark at Flamengo, Pulgar was booked in 35% of the games he played for the club

Expelled against Fortaleza, the Chilean has an average of one card every three games he plays

27 Nov 2024 | 12:03 |

Erick Pulgar received two yellow cards and was sent off in Flamengo's match against Fortaleza , this Tuesday (26). The game was the Chilean midfielder's 99th with the Sacred Mantle and the 35th in which he received a card, which represents 35% of games and an average of one punishment every three games.

< p style="border: 1px solid rgb(197, 0, 24);">This number is even higher in 2024. This is because the midfielder received yellow cards in 18 of the 47 games he played: 38%. He was punished in six rounds of the Brasileirão, five of theCarioca Carioca, four of the Copa do Brasil and three of the Libertadores. But, as he received two yellows and one red against Fortaleza, his first expulsion in Fla, he accumulated 20 cards in those 18 matches in which he was punished.

These punishments resulted in two automatic suspensions at Brasileirão, one in Carioca and the absence in the first game of the Copa do Brasilfinal. He “escaped” missing Mengão in the Libertadores due to the rule of clearing cards at the end of the group stage, a stage in which he was punished once.

Moving to 2023, the year he established himself as a starter and was one of the team's best players this season, Pulgar received yellow cards in 15 of the 44 games he played with Manto (36%): nine in the Brasileirão, two in Carioca, two in the Copa do Brasil, one in the Club World Cup and one in the Libertadores. In other words, he was suspended three times in the national league.

Finally , the 2022 season was naturally the one with the lowest frequency of yellow cards for the midfielder. He went through an adaptation period, was punished only twice in the eight games he played with the team (25%) and did not need to be absent from the team.

Therefore , Pulgar had to miss seven Flamengo games in the last two seasons. A number that is not that high for the athlete who usually plays as the team's only defensive midfielder, but his absence in important moments and the cards that are often considered unnecessary lead to some criticism from the fans.

Flamengo negotiates renewal with Pulgar

With contract until the end of 2026, Pulgar has already rejected two proposals from Flamengo to renew his contract. The 30-year-old Chilean received surveys and wants a salary increase to stay at Rubro-Negro. He will be able to sign a pre-contract with another club from July 2025.

Before embarking to face Fortaleza, Bruno Spindel stated that the club will intensify conversations in the coming weeks: “It’s natural that, at the end of the season, we accelerate conversations with his representatives.”

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Soccer

Arrascaeta makes a similar criticism of Jorge Jesus: “Flamengo only loses…”

Uruguayan gave a press conference at Ninho do Urubu and spoke about the problems of unprepared professionals at the club

Arrascaeta uses Jorge Jesus' famous quote at Flamengo to criticize unprepared professionals at the club - Photo: Gilvan de Souza/Flamengo

16 Ago 2025 | 19:00 |

Friday (15) was marked by a press conference with Arrascaeta, at Ninho do Urubu. The Uruguayan midfielder made strong statements about the club's backstage and even repeated a famous phrase from Jorge Jesus, the Portuguese coach who marked an era at Flamengo.

Arrascaeta quotes Jorge Jesus: "Flamengo only loses to itself"

CRITICISM OF DESPERATE PROFESSIONALS

Without directly mentioning the coach, Arrascaeta emphasized that internal problems often harm the club's atmosphere . The Uruguayan also made it clear that he will always stand by his teammates in situations where unprepared professionals could harm them:

"I often tell my friends that Flamengo only loses to itself, because it's difficult to explain some of the things that happen here. Sometimes it's due to a lack of capacity from people who don't realize the size of the club or who aren't used to dealing with this pressure . But when you have experienced and respected players like Alex Sandro, Bruno, Nico, Viña, and so many others, the group becomes stronger," said the number 10.

"Whatever happens outside won't affect our squad. We'll always be together. When something happens to a teammate, we'll be here to help," Arrascaeta assured. The statement alludes to the controversy surrounding former doctor José Luiz Runco, who was fired after exposing details of De La Cruz's physical condition , claiming the Uruguayan was living with an irreversible chronic injury.

SUPPORT FOR DE LA CRUZ

At the time, Arrascaeta posted a photo alongside De La Cruz, accompanied by the message: " It's about taking care of our own. It's that simple ." The gesture was interpreted as a dig at the former professional, as well as a pat on the back for his club and national team friend.

Now, at the press conference, the number 10 reinforced the importance of squad unity in the face of external turbulence: "Regardless of who it is, Nico or another player, we have to be together. It's very difficult to stay focused on the field when these situations happen. But I've been here for six years and I know that Flamengo always experiences moments like this. Our role is to keep ourselves in the locker room so that this doesn't affect us, even though some situations are very difficult," he concluded.

Close to the historic mark at Flamengo, Pulgar was booked in 35% of the games he played for the club