Alex recalls Flamengo spell, says club was a mess | OneFootball

Alex, now head coach of Athletic, has reflected on his brief 2000 stint at Flamengo.

"Flamengo were honest. Flamengo made an agreement with me and kept to it. I did not get paid during the period I was at Flamengo, and the problem at Flamengo was not with me, at that time Flamengo was a mess. It was not about me, I was just one more inside that mess," he told GE.

He arrived in the second half of 2000 on loan from Parma, but, due to the Olympics, only played in October. His spell ended before the year was out, despite a deal running to July 2001, and he finished with 12 appearances and three goals.

The club were in turmoil, with organisational issues and late wages. Alex went five months unpaid and, to secure his release, waived R$ 100,000 he was owed.

"When I faced Flamengo in 2003, I looked at them and felt grateful to have played there, for me it was a pleasure. Unfortunately it was a delicate, bad moment for the club. I stayed 46 days at Flamengo, it is not as if I played for a long time. I stayed 46 days, which for me was enjoyable, but unfortunately in terms of results and performance things were not good."

In the 2003 Copa do Brasil final, Alex, then at Cruzeiro, scored in a 1-1 draw at the Maracanã in the first leg. The Mineirão return finished 3-1 to Cruzeiro, leaving Flamengo as runners-up.

Leonardo Jardim’s side next face Botafogo at 16:00 Brasília time on Sunday 30 at the Maracanã, in round 25 of the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Source: Coluna Do Fla

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”