Flamengo director cites Messi and hits out at Brazilian media | OneFootball

Portuguese executive José Boto has been at Flamengo since January 2025

One of the challenges of running Flamengo is dealing with the press, according to José Boto. That is because the football director believes that they often use the club’s name to create information with no factual basis. With that in mind, the Portuguese executive mentioned Messi as an example.

– There is something here in Brazil that I wasn’t used to. For example, I don’t know, you, as a journalist, make something up. You write “Flamengo are interested in Messi.” So, with no factual basis at all -, Boto told A Bola, from Portugal, and added:

– And then it creates an almost nationwide discussion around something that has no truth to it whatsoever, you know? And that’s just the beginning. It ended up causing wear and tear… But how is it possible that they are discussing something that doesn’t match reality? And I would be walking down the street and people would say, “Don’t bring Messi!” -, he said.

How does Boto explain the situation with the press?

Then, the director laughed at his own joke about the Argentine star. The European executive explained that the exposure surrounding Rubro-Negro is enormous, which generates a lot of engagement, whether positive or negative.

Since when has José Boto been at Flamengo?

After building a career as an executive at European clubs, José Boto accepted Flamengo’s project, where he has worked since 2025. Since then, the executive has been involved in major club moves such as signing Lucas Paquetá and dismissing Filipe Luís.

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