Iago Machado hails Corinthians debut at Maracanã: ‘You must be ready’ | OneFootball

Corinthians’ 2-1 defeat to Flamengo last Sunday afternoon (13) in the Brazilian Championship marked a special moment for one of the club’s youth academy prospects. At 17 years old, Iago Machado made his professional debut at the Maracanã, in front of more than 70,000 fans, and received praise from Fernando Diniz after the match.

A product of Corinthians’ youth academy, the youngster was chosen by the coach to start in one of the biggest fixtures in Brazilian football. Despite the negative result, Iago left the pitch with his performance highly regarded and, after the game, spoke about fulfilling the dream of professionally representing the club he has been with for 11 years.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca / Corinthians Agency

Asked whether he could consider the match a dream debut, the defender highlighted the bond he has built with Corinthians since childhood.

“Obviously, right? A dream debut, even more so with the team I love, at the club where I’ve been working for 11 years, actually. So I’m very grateful to God, and grateful to the coach as well for the opportunity, and we’re going for more.”

Mental preparation for a sudden opportunity

The debut placed Iago in a highly demanding setting right in his first match. In addition to a packed Maracanã, the youngster had to play in defense against Flamengo. For the player, being mentally prepared was essential to handling the responsibility.

When explaining how such a young athlete can respond to an opportunity of that magnitude, Iago stressed that a chance with the senior team can come without warning.

“I think it’s mostly mental. Mentally, you have to be prepared for every opportunity, because it doesn’t knock on the door—it runs you over. Out of nowhere, you can be a starter; out of nowhere, you can be called up and sent into the game. So you have to be ready for every moment. That’s what I did together with my family and my teammates. I worked mentally for this day to come, and today I was rewarded in a big way for part of that.”

Although he only made his first appearance this Sunday, Iago had already been around the senior squad and taking part in the routine led by Fernando Diniz. According to the defender, that adaptation period was important in helping him understand the differences between youth football and the top level.

“I think it was about gaining more experience, adapting to a different style of play. In the youth teams, it’s much faster, much more intense, and here in the professional game it’s a bit more cautious and there’s much more physical battling. So I think the time I spent on the bench, working with the senior team, was mainly to gain experience so I could be ready for this moment—that’s it.”

Iago found out he would start on Friday

The opportunity to start against Flamengo was communicated to the youngster during the final days of preparation. Iago revealed that he found out on Friday that he would be among the 11 selected to play at the Maracanã.

According to the defender, Diniz’s message was for the team to maintain a competitive mindset regardless of the lineup used by the opponent.

“On Friday, we found out that we were going to start in today’s match, and I’m eternally grateful to the coach. It was my first debut and, God willing, many more games will come. The message was that we were going to play, that we were going to fight, no matter whether it was Flamengo’s starters or reserves, and that we would battle from the first minute to the last for Corinthians.”

Support from teammates during the debut

On the pitch, Iago also had help from the players who made up Corinthians’ defensive line. The youngster shared that area with more experienced players and received instructions during the match to adjust his positioning and decision-making.

Speaking about his conversations with Hugo Souza, João Pedro Tchoca, Fabrizio Angileri, and Pedro Milans, the defender explained that his teammates mainly tried to guide him in tactical aspects.

“It was mainly instruction, really. Instruction on how to attack, how to defend, when the right moment was to step up. So it was mostly those little adjustments.”

Iago Machado’s performance also stood out statistically. According to Sofascore, the center-back made 14 defensive actions against Flamengo, setting the highest total by an under-18 Corinthians player in a Brazilian Championship match. The youngster surpassed Gabriel Moscardo, who had recorded 11 defensive actions in matches against Palmeiras and Atlético-MG. The mark was achieved in Iago’s very debut for the senior team, at the Maracanã.

After experiencing his first match as a professional, Iago Machado now remains one of Fernando Diniz’s options for the rest of the season. Corinthians return to the pitch next Wednesday (16) at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, when they host Estudiantes at Neo Química Arena in the second leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals. After a 1-1 draw in La Plata, a win will send Timão to the semifinals, while another draw will take the decision to penalties.

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