Gabigol admits he'd swear at Tite, rues Flamengo player's plight

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Coluna do Fla

·29 June 2026

Gabigol admits he'd swear at Tite, rues Flamengo player's plight

Former Flamengo player, Gabigol recalled controversy with Tite

One of Gabigol’s most “tense” moments at Flamengo came when the club hired Tite in 2023. After all, a year earlier, the coach had left the striker out of the World Cup squad. During the celebration for the third Libertadores title, Gabi even told the manager to ‘go screw himself’ while celebrating. Asked whether he would do it again, the red-and-black idol did not hesitate.

— (The insult toward Tite) was on the parade truck, and the fans started chanting: ‘Tite, go screw yourself’ (…). I sang along. I was really wasted too. Two Libertadores… Ah, the way I was there, in that state? I’d say it again — said Gabigol in an interview with ‘RecordTV’. — He always respected me, and I always respected him. There was never any: ‘Go screw yourself.’ Never. Were there disagreements? One, two. Things he said that I didn’t agree with, I would say things and he didn’t agree? Yes. Did we have a good relationship? A relationship like the one I have with Cuca, with all the other coaches? With all the others, my relationship is always phenomenal. Did I have that with him? No — he added.

DID HE DESERVE TO GO TO THE WORLD CUP?

Hero of Flamengo’s 2019 and 2022 Libertadores titles, Gabigol believes he should have gone to the World Cup in Qatar, with Tite in charge. However, the coach took another Mengão striker, his fellow forward Pedro.

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“How does a player win two Libertadores, finish as top scorer, and not go to the World Cup? I could have helped. There was no way I shouldn’t have gone,” Gabigol said, before mentioning Pedro’s limited playing time for Brazil, even though the current number 9 did play in the World Cup.

— We won a Libertadores together, with me playing in a different position. Maybe, with the national team, they would have had to create a different system. In Brazil, there are many wingers with different roles, several different number 9s. Pedro deserved to have more games (for the national team), and so did I. For this World Cup (in 2026), I didn’t deserve to be there. But Pedro could have — Gabigol pointed out.

DOES 2019 GO TOE-TO-TOE WITH FLAMENGO’S WORLD CHAMPION TEAM?

Asked about Flamengo’s unforgettable 2019 season, Gabigol was bold and put Jorge Jesus’ team on the same level as Mengão’s 1981 world champion side. For the striker, those are the two greatest teams in the club’s history.

— Flamengo in 2019 and Flamengo in 1981 are the two greatest teams in Flamengo’s history. I think that team (2019) will never have anything like it again. A lot of things came together for it to work. Jorge Jesus, by far the best coach I’ve ever worked with in my life. The players at the time. The age of the players, I think that also mattered, the mix of youngsters, and also Diego, Diego Alves, then Rafinha arrived, Filipe Luís, then Gerson came back, who is younger than me. That team was… we stepped onto the field knowing we were going to win — Gabigol concluded.

WHAT DOES THE AUTHOR THINK OF GABIGOL’S COMMENTS?

For Pedro Paulo Catonho, a journalist at Coluna do Fla, Gabigol went too far in comparing the 2019 Flamengo team to the 1981 one. However, the reporter agrees that Gabriel deserved a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. After all, Gabi was ‘the man’ in Brazilian football.

— The 1981 team is beyond comparison. Flamengo became world champion with practically an entire team developed at Gávea. That team did a lot to make Mengão what it is today, the biggest club in the country. And it had Zico. That alone ends the debate. As for the national team, with all due respect, in 2022 Tite called up Richarlison, Antony… Gabigol did much more than those guys — said Pedro Paulo.

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