Arrascaeta reveals he almost joined Barcelona before becoming Flamengo hero | OneFootball

Barcelona (ESP) explored signing Arrascaeta

One of the biggest idols in Flamengo’s recent history, Arrascaeta had the chance to wear Barcelona’s (ESP) shirt early in his career. The Rubro-Negro captain revealed that, while playing for Uruguay’s under-20 team, he received a loan offer from the Spanish club. However, the deal ultimately did not go through.

What did Arrascaeta say about Barcelona’s offer?

— When I was playing for Uruguay’s under-20 national team, we played in the World Cup and reached the final, but we lost to France. When I returned to Uruguay, I had the possibility of going to Barcelona, Barcelona B, I think, on loan. But then my agent, they decided it wasn’t the best thing for me at that moment, because I still wasn’t playing for the first team -, he said, before concluding:

— And that was it. Obviously I was very excited when they said Barcelona, but it was a loan. I don’t know if it also wasn’t suitable for the club, or for anyone, but that was the end of it. Later I was also approached by some clubs, but I never had an offer that was, let’s say, really serious -, Arrascaeta concluded in an interview with ‘PodBoa’.

When did Arrascaeta join Flamengo?

Flamengo announced the signing of Arrascaeta in January 2019. At the time, the midfielder arrived as the biggest signing in the club’s history. After all, Rubro-Negro paid around 15 million euros, R$ 64 million at the time, to Cruzeiro.

How many titles has Arrascaeta won with Flamengo?

Alongside Bruno Henrique, Arrascaeta is the player with the most titles in Flamengo’s history, with 18 trophies. Among the main ones are: three Libertadores titles, three Brazilian league titles, and two Copa do Brasil titles. In this way, the midfielder cemented his status as an idol among the Rubro-Negro fans.

What are Arrascaeta’s numbers for Flamengo?

The Rubro-Negro idol has played 388 matches in a Flamengo shirt, with 106 goals and 119 assists. In addition, Arrascaeta is under contract with the club until December 2028. As a result, the tendency is for the No. 14 to further add to those numbers over the coming seasons.

What is Flamengo’s next match?

With Arrascaeta available, Flamengo is preparing to face Corinthians this Sunday (13) in the 27th round of the Brasileirão. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla brings you every detail about Flamengo in the 2026 season. So stay tuned to the website, social media, and YouTube. In addition, Globo (free-to-air TV), Premiere (pay-per-view), and GE TV (YouTube) will broadcast the match against Corinthians.

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