Former Argentina No 10 reveals he almost played for Flamengo | OneFootball

After spells with Cruzeiro and Santos, Montillo came close to joining Flamengo on several occasions

Flamengo fans who closely followed the team at the start of the last decade grew tired of watching the ‘Walter Montillo saga’ unfold at the Rubro-Negro. The negotiations came close to a happy ending, but small details got in the way. The Argentine himself revealed the situation.

— The one that came close was Corinthians, but the one that was always right there at the door and never worked out was Flamengo. There were several times when it didn’t work out with Flamengo. When I was in China, Flamengo also tried, but the Chinese wouldn’t let me leave. But Flamengo was always very close — said Montillo, to ESPN.

HOW DID THE MONTILLO ‘SAGAS’ WITH FLAMENGO PLAY OUT?

Montillo caught the attention of Brazilian football in 2010. In the quarterfinals of that year’s Libertadores, against Flamengo, the Argentine attacking midfielder scored a stunning goal that sealed Rubro-Negro’s elimination. Playing for Universidad de Chile, the former midfielder chipped goalkeeper Bruno, sending the Chilean side into the semifinals.

That year, Flamengo tried to sign Montillo, but the midfielder joined Cruzeiro instead. Later, the Argentine moved to Santos. However, Mengo tried to lure the player away from both clubs. In 2014, the ‘hermano’ moved to China, where he played until 2016, and the Rubro-Negro kept a close eye on him.

However, Montillo never wore Flamengo’s Manto Sagrado and retired in 2020 at Universidad de Chile. With the Argentina national team, he made six appearances for the senior side, in addition to playing in the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The Argentine is currently 41 years old.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.