Leonardo Jardim hands Flamengo prospect Rafael Tenório first senior training chance | OneFootball

Rafael Tenório, a standout in Flamengo’s under-17s, trained with the senior squad for the first time under Leonardo Jardim on Thursday morning. According to Coluna Do Fla, academy players joined the session at Ninho do Urubu as regular starters stayed off the pitch after the match with Cruzeiro.

The attacking midfielder took part in tactical and technical drills overseen by Jardim on one of the pitches at the training centre.

Tenório joined Flamengo after catching the eye at the 2024 Copa Rio Sub-15 while playing for Resende, finishing as the tournament’s second-top scorer.

He spent the last two seasons in the under-15 set-up. In 2026, aged 16, he is a starter for Flamengo’s under-17 side and is contracted until the end of 2027.

While the youngsters sampled senior work on Thursday, the first team have begun preparing to face Botafogo in the sixth round of the Brasileirão. Jardim still has one further session to fine-tune his starting line-up.

The game against Botafogo will be played at Estádio Nilton Santos at 20:30 Brasília time on Saturday 14.

Source: Coluna Do Fla