Brazil star: I nearly quit football after leaving Flamengo

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Coluna do Fla

·9 September 2025

Brazil star: I nearly quit football after leaving Flamengo

Defender with a stint at Flamengo's youth team, Alexsandro Ribeiro almost quit football

Coach Carlo Ancelotti will make changes for this Tuesday's (09) game, when Brazil will face Bolivia, for the last round of the World Cup Qualifiers. One of them will be in the defense, with the inclusion of Alexsandro Ribeiro, from Lille (FRA), in the starting lineup. Today in the Brazilian Team, the defender almost quit his career when he left Flamengo.

Alexandro was part of the Flamengo youth team nine years ago and, after being dismissed, almost followed other paths. Currently 26 years old, the defender was 17 at the time and said he needed a lot of support from those close to him not to abandon football.

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WHAT DID ALEXSANDRO RIBEIRO SAY?

— I played at Flamengo and when the decision to leave came I didn't imagine it would be so heavy for a 16, 17, year old kid. Mentally, there was a whirlwind of things, many ups and downs, but in the end I had people to advise me and lift me up when I needed it most. It was the most difficult moment of my life, spending a year and a half without a club, doing tryouts and tests —, said Alexandro, in an interview with ‘365 Scores’.

— At many moments, I would return to Rio with an empty suitcase, without hope, wanting to stop playing, and then I would arrive at home and see my brothers going through that difficulty. My friends would say: 'Man, you can't stop for your family, for us too who have this dream'. They knew that I had the ability to reach the high level that I have reached today. It was inevitable not to think about giving up, but with the right people they will make your dream come true —, added the defender.

WHAT DID ALEXSANDRO DO AFTER BEING DISMISSED FROM FLAMENGO?

After a stint with Flamengo's U-17 team and a year and a half without a club, Alexsandro got approval at Resende for the U-20 team. Later, the then young man caught the attention of Praiense (POR), then Amora (POR). In the 2021/22 season, Alexsandro stood out at Chaves (POR) and was eventually signed by Lille (FRA), who bought him for 2 million euros (R$ 10 million, at the time).

WILL ALEXSANDRO BE A STARTER IN BRAZIL'S GAME?

Starting in the first two games of the 'Ancelotti Era', against Ecuador and Paraguay, Alexsandro was on the bench on Thursday (04), against Chile. Now, the coach will rotate the squad, and the former Flamengo player is expected to start the match against Bolivia, at the altitude of 'El Alto', more than 4,000 meters above sea level. Therefore, the ball rolls from 8:30 pm (Brasília time), with full coverage from Coluna do Fla.

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