Spine-tingling! Pedro on the injury that cost him the Libertadores final

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Coluna do Fla

·4 January 2026

Spine-tingling! Pedro on the injury that cost him the Libertadores final

On the eve of the final, Pedro suffered a muscle injury in his thigh and did not play against Palmeiras

In the final stretch of preparation for the 2025 Libertadores final, Flamengo suffered a ‘hard blow’ by losing Pedro to a muscle injury. This week, during a religious event for over 50,000 people at Maracanã, the striker shared behind-the-scenes details of the day he suffered the physical problem and how he managed to bounce back.

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— The injuries that sidelined me for a while, I wanted to share about what kept me out of the Libertadores final. I was recovering from a broken arm and had just returned to training. My expectations were sky-high for the final, there were nine days left. I go to training, kick a ball, and the thigh muscle tears. The doctors said there was no way I could play in the final. When I stop to think about that day, I remember I was praying from the car, from my condo all the way to Flamengo’s training center. And then this happened during training — Pedro recalled.

— When I remember this, that I put everything in God’s hands, a peace came over me. This peace is not like the world gives, it comes from Jesus. When I know that nothing escapes His control, that everything is in His hands, it brings peace and joy. If Jesus is sovereign, if you accepted Him in your life, why not let Him do things His way, and not ours? Because when something gets out of our control, we start to complain, to question. But God is still God, He is still good all the time — the striker added, during the ‘Mara Vira Rio’ event held on the 31st.

WHAT PROBLEMS DID PEDRO SUFFER?

At the end of October, in the semifinal of the Libertadores against Racing (ARG), Pedro broke his arm. Even with this serious injury, the striker managed to recover and would have been fit for the Libertadores final. However, a week before the clash with Palmeiras, the number 9 injured his left thigh.

Pedro was unable to recover in time for the final in Lima. In the initial diagnoses, the striker was even ruled out for the first rounds of the 2026 Carioca. However, with a lot of grit and, of course, a lot of faith, the striker managed to be on the field in the semifinal of the Club World Cup, against Pyramids (EGY), and in the final against PSG (FRA).

PEDRO SOARING IN 2026?

Now 100% fit for the new year, Pedro got the fans excited this Saturday (03), by posting a video of himself running without limitations on the treadmill. After all, even during vacation, the center forward keeps in shape to be in top condition on January 12, the date when Flamengo’s squad returns for pre-season.

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