Ryan Roberto on leaving Flamengo: “I saw the club's politics” | OneFootball

Ryan Roberto left Flamengo to join Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR)

One of Flamengo’s top prospects, Ryan Roberto left the club in June 2026. At the time, the player accepted an offer to join Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR). After two months with the Ukrainian side, the youngster opened up about leaving Fla and highlighted the lack of opportunities in the first team.

— I always wanted to leave to play in Europe, but my first step, ever since I arrived at Flamengo, was always to think about playing for the club’s first team. I really wanted to play for Flamengo’s first team, to have opportunities, to have chances to play-, he began:

— But when I started to realize how the club’s politics worked, that pulled me a little away from that desire, that wish to play for Flamengo. It’s still a dream, but I think I had to open my mind to a second option-, he added, before concluding:

— I was always aware of that from the moment I arrived at Flamengo. I need to be there, I need to be ready. And at Flamengo, I had never had the chance to go to a match and be on the bench. That never happened-, Ryan Roberto concluded to ‘Lance!’.

How did Ryan Roberto’s departure from Flamengo happen?

Ryan Roberto was regarded as one of the most promising recent gems from Flamengo’s youth academy. At Rubro-Negro since the age of 15, the attacking midfielder put together a string of strong performances and stood out wearing the Sacred Jersey.

So, in the final stretch of his contract, Flamengo tried to renew with Ryan Roberto but ended up facing some obstacles. Without reaching an agreement, the player, who was under contract with Rubro-Negro until March 2027, decided not to extend the deal and was sidelined.

How much did Shakhtar Donetsk pay to sign Ryan Roberto?

The deal involving Ryan Roberto could reach 10 million euros (R$ 58.79 million). That is because Shakhtar paid a fixed 9.5 million euros (R$ 56.31 million at the current exchange rate), plus another 500,000 euros (R$ 2.96 million) in bonuses if certain targets are met. In addition, Flamengo retained 10% of the economic rights for a future sale.

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