Flamengo academy product Matheus Gonçalves honoured with Bangu mural in Rio’s West Zone | OneFootball

Flamengo academy graduate Matheus Gonçalves has been honoured with a mural in Rio de Janeiro’s West Zone. Residents of Bangu created the large artwork to inspire local youngsters.

According to Coluna Do Fla, the piece celebrates the player who came through Flamengo and aims to motivate children in the neighbourhood.

Gonçalves said he felt happy and emotional when he saw it, calling Bangu part of his story and a place where he spent much of his childhood dreaming of becoming a footballer. He added that friends helped create it and hopes it shows youngsters that with work, dedication and faith, dreams are possible.

A Ninho do Urubu graduate, he played for Flamengo’s first team from 2023 to 2025. In August last year the club accepted an offer from Al Ahli (SAU) worth about 8 million euros, roughly R$50 million at current rates.

In his first season in Saudi Arabia he made 34 appearances, scoring four goals and supplying four assists. He also formed part of the squad that won the Asian Champions League.

Source: Coluna Do Fla