Botafogo Libertadores winner offers to Vasco live: “Who’d say no?” | OneFootball

Vasco has gained an openly declared “candidate” for its football backroom staff. Raphael Rezende, former Botafogo head scout and former SporTV commentator, dropped the diplomacy during a live stream on the Quadrado Mágico channel and bluntly said that he sees himself working at São Januário.

The statement stands out because of the timing. It comes at the decisive stage of the sale of Vasco’s SAF to businessman Marcos Lamacchia, and Rezende himself mentioned the new owners while commenting on the club’s future.

What Raphael Rezende said about Vasco

Rezende began by explaining why his name has been linked to Cruz-Maltino since the start of the year. According to him, it all comes down to his relationship with president Pedrinho, and he joked that the same is also said about the Lamacchias:

“It’s because of my relationship with Pedrinho, right, man? Just like the Lamacchias, people say they’re only at Vasco because of Pedrinho. My relationship with him was also very direct, because of the work we did together. So, as soon as I left the club, he called me, we talked, and because of that closeness I think that association came about.”

+ Vasco SAF contract requires Lamacchia to cover any possible losses with betting houses

Then he went further and was full of praise for Vasco’s project:

“I think it is, and I said this a while back, one of the most promising projects in Brazilian football. It has everything to work out, right? And really, who wouldn’t want to be part of it? This is me lobbying with that line right now, isn’t it?”

And he ended with the line that went viral among Vasco fans:

“It’s a project where I can see myself helping enormously, in an unquestionable way. But it depends, of course, both on them, on structuring the space and all that, and on the market as a whole.”

Pedrinho, SporTV and the bridge to São Januário

The connection between the two goes back a long way. Rezende and Pedrinho worked together as commentators at SporTV, and it was the president who took the initiative in making the first contact. In March, Rezende had already told Lance! that Pedrinho saw the news of his departure from Botafogo and called to ask whether there was any possibility of fitting his work into the club.

In May, ge reported that Vasco was negotiating with Rezende for a role that would be new in the organizational chart: manager, positioned between football director Admar Lopes and head scout Daniel Brito. The idea was for him to serve as a link between the board and scouting, standardizing market mapping. At the time, an initial proposal did not reach a positive conclusion, but talks continued.

Since then, no agreement has been announced. In the meantime, Rezende signed with SBT to commentate matches at the 2026 World Cup.

Why the statement carries more weight with Lamacchia’s arrival

Rezende’s “lobbying” comes at a moment when Vasco is preparing to change owners. Almirante Participações, a company linked to Marcos Lamacchia, was declared the winner of the competitive process to buy 90% of the SAF on September 25.

The deal still depends on an important step: on October 6, the Deliberative Council will vote on the proposal, which is around R$ 3 billion and includes a R$ 500 million investment in football.

With the new management coming in, restructuring the football department is likely to become a topic of discussion, and that is exactly where Rezende is making himself available, even while making it clear that everything depends on room in the structure and on the market.

Who is Raphael Rezende

Rezende has a rare profile in Brazilian football: he swapped TV for behind-the-scenes work. He became Botafogo’s head scout at the start of 2022, after leaving SporTV, and played an important role in building the squad that won the 2024 Brasileirão and Libertadores. His time at the club ended when he was one of those dismissed in Botafogo SAF’s cost-cutting process in February this year.

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PROFILE – RAPHAEL REZENDEFull name: Raphael Maciel Rezende de SouzaAge: 42 years old (born on August 27, 1984, in Rio de Janeiro)Education: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; CBF coaching B license and football management courseOn TV: SporTV, from 2007 to 2022In football: Botafogo head scout (2022 to February 2026)Titles: 2024 Brasileirão and Libertadores (Botafogo)Status: no official agreement with Vasco

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