Surprise! Flamengo defender is on Dorival Júnior's pre-list for the Brazilian team

Doctor Luiz Antônio Vieira, responsible for Pedro's surgery, commented that the attacker's recovery has been very positive. The surgeon was responsible for reconstructing the anterior cruciate ligament in Pedro's knees — on the right in 2018 and on the left this year. Vieira believes that the player's return will be better than his first injury, which occurred six years ago.

In an interview with 'GE', the doctor, who also operated on Bruno Henrique, detailed the surgical procedure and highlighted the Pedro's physical and psychological qualities and reassured Flamengo fans about the possibility of the striker being present at the Club World Cup, in June next year.

“He was lucky not to have a meniscus injury, so joint rehabilitation is faster. We're still in September, I mean, he'll be there for about eight months, because that's around the time he turns around, between the eighth and ninth month. So I believe he has a chance. He is very dedicated, super focused on rehabilitation, does everything you tell him to, has strong legs, good muscles... I think he has a chance. He will be around the time he would more or less return”, said the doctor.

Luiz Antônio Vieira commented about the way Pedro is mentally dealing with the situation. After suffering the same injury in 2018 to one knee, the attacker now has the anterior cruciate ligament in his other knee torn. The doctor highlighted that Flamengo's Shirt 9 is very calm and sees this as a learning experience for his life.

“He has one good thing: he is quite religious. So he believes that it is part of his life learning, that he had to go through this. He accepted, in a way he resigned himself a little. He said: ‘Doctor, I’ve been through this, I’m going to have to go through it again, it was supposed to be like this, it’s part of my life, let’s face it’. He is super calm about it”, explained Vieira.

In addition, Vieira mentioned the time that Pedro will be able to spend with his twin daughters, who were born just over a month ago.

“He’s at a stage where he just had a baby, right? He has one-month-old twins, so I told him: “Everything in life has a good and a bad side. You will now be able to live with your one-month-old daughters because playing football two or three times a week would be impossible, right”? So let's put it this way, there will be this good part, in quotation marks, of his drama”, concluded the surgeon.

The biggest idol in Flamengo's history, Zico made it clear that he will never ask for the club's legendary number 10 shirt to be retired. Although no player in the current squad is using the number, after Gabigol missed this chance, Galinho stated that he is against the idea of ​​preserving the number forever as a form of tribute.

In an interview with the channel “Faaaala, Craque !”, on YouTube, the former player highlighted how satisfying it is for a professional athlete to wear a shirt with such a historic number. Faced with comments about the absence of a player wearing Mengão's number 10, Zico declared his opinion:

“He really doesn't have the number 10. But I will never ask to remove the number, I am against that. If you took Pelé away, for example, you wouldn't be able to play, have the satisfaction of playing. I'm not worried about that. Football is not basketball”, said Galinho.

In May, after a leaked photo in which Gabigol appears wearing the Corinthians shirt, Flamengo imposed a punishment on the attacker, which included a fine and the removal of the iconic number 10 shirt. See the statement issued by the club:

“The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo informs that, after a meeting with the vice-president of football, Marcos Braz, and other directors of the department, the athlete Gabriel Barbosa was fined and informed by the director that he will no longer wear the red-black number 10 shirt in competitions where the number may be changed. ”

Gabigol “inherited” the number after the retirement of Diego Ribas, at the end of 2022. The striker wore the legendary shirt in 72 matches, being a starter in 47 of them. During this period, he scored 22 goals, provided four assists and won the 2024 Campeonato Carioca. After the incident, Gabriel started to wear the number 99 shirt at Flamengo.

Ayrton Lucas, left-back of Flamengo, will be missing the team in the next round of the Brazilian Championship against Vasco da Gama. The player received his third yellow card in the last match and, consequently, is suspended for the classic. The absence of Ayrton Lucas represents a significant loss for coach Tite, who will have to look for alternatives for the team's left flank.

Ayrton Lucas has been a fundamental piece in Flamengo's tactical formation, both defensively and offensively . His speed and ability to support the attack are characteristics that make him one of the main players in the squad. With his suspension, Flamengo will need to rethink their strategy to face Vasco, who are also going through a decisive moment in the competition.

Ayrton Lucas' suspension could also force the Flamengo to change your playing style. The full-back is known for his ability to advance down the left flank, creating plays and serving attackers with precise crosses. Without him, the team loses this offensive strength, which can lead to a more cautious scheme, prioritizing defensive solidity to the detriment of aggressiveness in attack.