Botafogo idol on Flamengo offers: "I turned them down twice" | OneFootball

What did Rafael, former Botafogo right-back, say about Flamengo?

The former right-back Rafael shared some details about interesting moments he experienced throughout his career. In one of his statements, the ex-player revealed behind-the-scenes stories about the offers he received from Flamengo, which he ultimately turned down.

— I like to forget about Flamengo, let them be. But I received two offers from Flamengo, one when I was at Lyon (FRA) and another when I was already at Manchester United (ENG). I actually listened, because the guy came to present the project to me. The offer was very good, but I didn’t accept it –, said Rafael in an interview with the ‘Eliza Ranieri’ channel.

Rafael took his first steps in football in the youth ranks of Fluminense. However, as his career progressed, the former player always made it clear that he supported and rooted for Botafogo.

So much so that, after spending several years in European football, Rafael played for the Rio de Janeiro team. In 2024, which was his last season as a professional player, he won the Libertadores and the Brasileirão with the team from General Severiano.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S SITUATION IN THE 2026 SEASON?

While Rafael reminisces about his football journey, the Flamengo squad is looking to bounce back in the 2026 season. That’s because, right at the start of the year, the Rubro-Negro has already finished as runners-up twice, to Corinthians and Lanús (ARG) in the Supercopa and Recopa, respectively.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

Flamengo’s next match will be against Madureira, in the second leg of the Carioca semifinal. The match kicks off at 9:00 p.m. (Brasília time) this Monday (02), at Maracanã. As usual, Coluna do Fla TV will cover the details of the match on YouTube, as well as on their website and social media. Finally, SporTV (cable channel) and Premiere (pay-per-view) will broadcast the game.

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