Sport announce defender sold to Botafogo, see the details | OneFootball

The Sport Club confirmed the sale of defender Riquelme Felipe. Last Tuesday, the jewel of the Pernambuco team's youth academy, only 18 years old, was negotiated with Botafogo. The Lion received R$ 7.39 million for the defender and still retained 30% of the economic rights of the athlete.

Despite the money received, Sport announced that the amount paid by Botafogo will be allocated to settling the debt that the Lion had with the SAF of Glorioso. The forward Carlos Alberto, purchased at the beginning of 2025, had not been paid for by the Pernambuco team.

In addition, midfielder Leandrinho, loaned to Sport in 2019, will also have his debt settled.

Riquelme Felipe says goodbye

The defender joined Sport in 2022, becoming part of the under-15 squad. Staying with the Lion throughout his development, he won the Madcup under-19 in Spain in April this year. His good performances in the youth team earned him a promotion to the professional squad, where he played for 20 minutes.

“Today I say goodbye to the club that shaped me not only as an athlete but as a man. I arrived as a boy full of dreams, coming from a small town in Alagoas, and I leave more mature, grateful for everything I experienced wearing the Sport jersey,” wrote the defender in a social media post.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Riquelme Oliveira (@riquelmefelipee)

Looking ahead to 2026

Botafogo and Sport will have different years in the next season. While Glorioso aims to compete for titles after a blank season, the Lion seeks returning to the elite of national football.

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