Juninho speaks out after leaving Flamengo: "When they needed me, I..." | OneFootball

What did Juninho, current striker for Pumas (MEX), say about Flamengo?

Juninho left Flamengo at the beginning of this season and is now the current striker for Pumas, in Mexico. When evaluating his time at Rubro-Negro, the athlete made it clear that he wished he had more opportunities, however, he is grateful for the journey he had with the Fla jersey.

— In my heart, it's like this: when they needed me, I was there. That's what I can take away. And, like it or not, I was a guy who didn't play much. Obviously, I also understand that it's a club full of stars, great players whom I admire -, he said, before concluding:

— And I went a lot (to Flamengo) also for them, to meet them and also because I only saw them on TV. But I know that the few games I played and the few goals I scored were very important for the path to all our success –, concluded Juninho in an interview with ‘GE’.

HOW WAS JUNINHO'S JOURNEY AT FLAMENGO?

The striker Juninho was the first signing of the 'Bap Era' at Flamengo. The player arrived at Rubro-Negro as one of the top scorers for Qarabag (AZE). However, the athlete was unable to replicate this feat at Mengão.

In total, Juninho played 32 times wearing the Flamengo jersey, scoring only four goals. Despite these numbers, the striker had crucial contributions to results. This is because the athlete scored in the final of the Carioca against Fluminense and scored an important goal in Mengão's victory over Deportivo Táchira (VEN) in the Libertadores.

DID JUNINHO LEAVE FLAMENGO IN THE 2026 SEASON?

Yes! At the very beginning of the 2026 season, Flamengo completed the sale of Juninho to Pumas (MEX). In the transaction, Rubro-Negro received 5 million euros (about R$ 31 million), the same amount they paid at the time to Qarabag.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO'S NEXT GAME IN THE 2026 SEASON?

While Juninho is in his 'new home', the main squad of Flamengo is preparing to debut in the 2026 season. The kickoff takes place this Wednesday (21) against Vasco, for the third round of the Carioca.

The ball rolls at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), at Maracanã. Thus, Coluna do Fla TV shows the details of the match with the most Rubro-Negro coverage on the internet on YouTube, as well as on the website and social media. Finally, Globo (open channel), SporTV (cable), Premiere (pay-per-view), and GETV (YouTube) broadcast the classic.

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