Didn't even play! Second-tier club ditch Flamengo man after ‘spat’ | OneFootball

Signed by São Bernardo, center-back Pablo ended up released by the club without playing

Sidelined by Flamengo under Filipe Luís last year, Pablo is still going through a difficult moment in his career. At the start of the year, the center-back was announced by São Bernardo, from Série B of the Brasileirão. However, five months later, the player had not even played a match and ended up being released.

“Official statement! São Bernardo Futebol Clube SAF announces the termination of its contractual relationship with center-back Pablo Castro. During the time he was at the club, the player showed professionalism, commitment, and dedication, contributing in a respectful and exemplary way to the institution’s environment,” the club wrote.

“The club thanks the player for the time he spent with the club and wishes him great success in the next steps of his professional and personal journey. São Bernardo FC SAF Football Department,” São Bernardo concluded in a post on social media.

SO HOW DID PABLO DO AT FLAMENGO?

The center-back joined Flamengo in 2022 for 2.5 million euros (R$14 million). In his first year, Pablo had some opportunities under Dorival Júnior and took the field 31 times. In 2023, he made 15 appearances wearing the Sacred Jersey. In 2024, he was loaned to Botafogo, where the defender played only one match. Finally, he returned to Mengão in 2025, with four appearances for the youth-filled squad that played at the start of the Campeonato Carioca.

After those first matches last year, Pablo began training at Ninho do Urubu on an alternate schedule. The center-back made social media posts showing his workouts, always with reflective messages and indirect digs at those responsible for sidelining him at Flamengo.

WHAT DID PABLO SAY ABOUT LEAVING FLAMENGO?

– But it happened, it’s in the past, I’ve reframed it. And that’s it, I’m going to bounce back. I’m going to do whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. You have no idea what I’m willing to give up to make that happen again –, the center-back added in an interview with GE at the start of this year.

At 34, Pablo ended up being included in the squad for only three São Bernardo matches: one in the Campeonato Paulista and two in the Copa Sul-Sudeste. However, the center-back did not come off the bench. A curiosity: the player’s last match of his career came on January 22, 2025, when Flamengo beat Bangu 5-0 in the Carioca.

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