Jorge Jesus on leaving Brazil: Maybe I’d still be at Flamengo | OneFootball

Jorge Jesus left Flamengo in 2020 due to the pandemic

“Maybe today I would still be at Flamengo.” This statement from Jorge Jesus, which tugs at the hearts of Flamengo fans, was made in a publication by the Portuguese newspaper ‘Record’ this Tuesday (10). The Mister revealed that he only left the Most Beloved because of Covid-19, which swept the world in 2020, right after the ‘magical year’ of 2019.

— It was the group that showed the most interest and concern for me. They wanted to know the reasons behind the exercises and the talks with some during training. And I would stay on the pitch explaining everything to them at the end. That’s why I wouldn’t have left that Wonderful City if it weren’t for Covid-19. My first test came back positive and the second was inconclusive. As a precaution, I stayed locked in the apartment, alone — said Jorge Jesus.

— The doctors visited me dressed in anti-contagion suits and the club staff would leave food at my door. They would knock and run before I opened it. I felt like I was in prison. I watched the news and in Brazil, Covid seemed like a death sentence. So I decided, if I was going to die, it would be in Portugal. And I left. Without the pandemic, maybe today I would still be at Flamengo. Between July 2019 and April 2020, we won five trophies and only lost four matches — added the coach, in an interview with the newspaper ‘Record’ from Portugal.

WHAT WERE THE FIVE TITLES WON BY JORGE JESUS’ FLAMENGO?

Jorge Jesus arrived in the middle of 2019. Right away, he won the Libertadores and the Brasileirão. At the start of 2020, the Mister led the team to win the Supercopa, the Recopa, and the Carioca. Afterwards, the ‘world stopped’ with Covid-19. So, as the Portuguese coach explained, returning to Europe ended up being the best path.

DOES THE WORLD TURN?

Curiously, Jorge Jesus left Flamengo suggesting that the club should go after Leonardo Jardim. Six years later, the ‘marriage’ desired by the 2019 Libertadores champion came true last week and has already brought the title of the Campeonato Carioca 2026.

With Jorge Jesus cheering from the stands, Leonardo Jardim’s Flamengo faces Cruzeiro this Wednesday (11), at Maracanã, for the fifth round of the Brasileirão. The match kicks off at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), with full coverage from Coluna do Fla.

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