Lucas Paquetá reveals Flamengo boss's joke: “£42m player” | OneFootball

Midfielder talked about a joke with the coach before the game against Mirassol

Lucas Paquetá revealed a joke made with Leonardo Jardim after Flamengo’s win over Mirassol. That is because the midfielder scored a goal in the match, played at the Maracanã, in which he played in two positions.

What Lucas Paquetá said about the joke with Jardim

– He said: “you’re a 42-million player because you play in more than two positions. If you played only one, you’d be worth 20”. So, I think that’s a quality, it’s one of my traits. And, well, I’m happy to help wherever needed at Flamengo -, Lucas Paquetá said.

Therefore, the comment reinforces the good humor between the midfielder and the coaching staff of the Most Beloved. Thus, Paquetá treated versatility as a quality to be valued, and not just as a tactical demand.

Leonardo Jardim confirmed the joke

– In the first half as an attacking midfielder and in the second as a defensive midfielder. I said: “your transfer was expensive because you play in more than one or two positions. That’s why you’re worth more than those who only play in one” -, coach Leonardo Jardim highlighted in a press conference.

How Paquetá performed against Mirassol

Against Mirassol, Lucas Paquetá played both as an attacking midfielder and as a defensive midfielder. Therefore, the versatility mentioned in the joke showed up in practice over the 90 minutes. The midfielder also found the net, heading in a cross from Carrascal.

In this way, the performance reinforces exactly the argument Jardim used to justify the player’s value. However, the goal in that specific match gave even more symbolic weight to the conversation reported by Paquetá.

Paquetá’s path from West Ham to Flamengo

Lucas Paquetá arrived at Rubro-Negro after leaving West Ham (ENG) for 42 million euros (R$ 250 million). Therefore, the transfer marked the midfielder’s return to Brazilian football after years in European football.

Paquetá’s numbers this season

Lucas Paquetá has 10 goals and no assists in 31 matches played this year. Therefore, the numbers reinforce the midfielder’s good form, even while playing in various positions. Thus, the current season is already approaching his historic 2018 mark, when the player totaled 12 goals and six assists in 56 matches.

What is the author’s opinion on Paquetá’s current form?

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