Diniz-watched defender boosts Corinthians in U17 Brasileirão | OneFootball

On Tuesday afternoon (11), at 3:45 p.m. (Brasília time), Corinthians will face Flamengo at Estádio Luso-Brasileiro, in Rio de Janeiro, in a match valid for the 11th round of the Brazilian Under-17 Championship qualifying stage. Currently, the Corinthians side is second in the overall standings with 22 points — seven wins, one draw, and two defeats — with 31 goals scored and nine conceded.

For the match, the Sons of Terrão are expected to have the “reinforcement” of center-back Iago Machado, a regular starter for the Under-20s and already integrated into the first-team squad, among those called up. The information was first reported by journalist Victor Godoy of TMC Esporte. The decision came after an alignment between the academy and professional directors.

Photo: Rapha Marques/Agência Corinthians

According to the report, internally there is an understanding that, for the player, it is more beneficial to play matches in the Brazilian Under-17 Championship than only in the Paulista tournament for the Under-20s, since state-level matches are less demanding. William Batista’s side, it is worth remembering, were eliminated in the national quarterfinals after being beaten by Palmeiras 4-1 on aggregate.

In addition, according to TMC, Corinthians had already been discussing moving the young defender down with a view to the knockout stage of the Brazilian Under-17 Championship, since Timão is well on track to qualify. At the moment, in the first team, the club from Parque São Jorge has the following options: Gustavo Henrique, Gabriel Paulista, André Ramalho, and João Pedro Tchoca.

Iago Machado played the 2026 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Jr as a starting defender for Corinthians and, shortly after the tournament ended, began to be more closely monitored by the first team, even being included by Dorival Jr. and Fernando Diniz, respectively, for the team’s Brazilian Championship matches.

Registered for the Conmebol Libertadores, the club is planning the professional debut of the youngster, born in 2009, closer to the end of the current season. His contract with Corinthians runs until 2028, with release clauses of R$ 66 million domestically and 100 million euros (nearly R$ 600 million). In 2025, he was the second-highest scorer in the Under-17 category, with nine goals in 38 matches. This year, for the Under-20s, he has scored four goals in 25 matches.

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