‘Ex-Flamengo’ mum and dad tribute: Andrew’s moving club arrival | OneFootball

Andrew recently lost his parents, both Flamengo fans

Although he started out at Botafogo, Andrew has a strong connection with Flamengo. After all, the goalkeeper’s parents, who have already passed away, were die-hard fans of Mengão. His mother even worked on the club’s cleaning staff. His father, meanwhile, inspired the number 42, which the athlete will wear at Mais Querido.

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— I lost my mother two years ago, I lost my father in 2009, both Flamengo fans. When you see all that… I arrived at the airport, a warm welcome, family members crying. You stop and start to think: “Man, if my mother were here, it would be something I’d love to feel.” To feel, to see how she would look at me. Unfortunately, I don’t have her here with me, but I have her in my heart forever. It’s something that really touches me — said Andrew, in an interview with FlamengoTV.

— My mother has a history with Flamengo, she worked on the cleaning staff at Gávea. She was a fan, a “difficult” one, she would yell at the TV thinking the players would hear her. Flamengo is the greatest team in the world. It’s very emotional to talk about my family, who breathe Flamengo — added the 24-year-old goalkeeper.

WHY NUMBER 42 AT FLAMENGO?

At Flamengo, Andrew will wear the number 42 jersey. The number started by chance in the family, with the brother of the new Mengão signing, Andrey, who is also a goalkeeper. Later, a series of coincidences related to their father made the number a family favorite and a kind of tribute.

— When my brother started playing, the only jersey available was 42. After a while, his wife mentioned that it was at 42 years old that my father passed away. He hadn’t realized that and ended up keeping the 42. When I went to play my first professional match, everyone had their name and number — he recounted.

— When I arrived at the stadium, 42 was reserved for me. I didn’t choose it. I arrived and it was there. I sent a photo to my brother, he cried. It’s a family mark and I carry it with me. We’ll keep going with 42 and, God willing, achieve success — Andrew concluded.

HOW DID ANDREW’S SIGNING WITH FLAMENGO HAPPEN?

In short, Andrew had a contract with Gil Vicente, from Portugal, until mid-year. Thus, Flamengo moved forward to sign a pre-contract. After agreeing terms with the goalkeeper, the four-time Libertadores champion negotiated with the Europeans to secure his immediate release.

Thus, Flamengo had to pay 1.5 million euros, that is, just over R$ 9.4 million to sign Andrew still in January. The player, born in Duque de Caxias-RJ, signed a four-year contract with the club.

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