Victor Hugo sparks row with Flamengo-Santos comparison, fans fume | OneFootball

Victor Hugo said that it's not possible to compare the structures of Flamengo and Santos

When a player is introduced to a new club, it's natural to praise the team and not value the past. However, in the case of Victor Hugo, it was different. In his first press conference as a player for Santos, the midfielder was asked about the difference in structure with Flamengo and he was very candid.

— The structure here (at Santos) has everything we need to perform at our best. Obviously, when we talk about Flamengo, in terms of structure, it's a club that is very well structured, it's hard to make a comparison. But here is a club that has everything I need to perform, which is structuring itself more and more. A lot of things are being renovated, it has everything we need — said Victor Hugo.

WHAT DID SANTOS FANS THINK OF VICTOR HUGO'S STATEMENT?

Victor Hugo's statement divided fans on social networks. Some Santos fans found the statement unfortunate, while others were irritated by the issue, recognizing that Flamengo is steps ahead compared to the São Paulo club. “This question about comparing the structures is bizarre, it seems like they did it on purpose to depreciate the club. We all know that the structure is far behind, there's no need to use that in the questions,” said one fan. “Who asked this question? Zico?” another one joked.

However, some fans were also unhappy with Victor Hugo. “Bad move, huh”, “for me, he can be returned (to Flamengo)” and “it's the famous 'it's bad, but it's good” were some of the messages. Still in the first interview, the midfielder talked about Neymar's influence in accepting Santos' project, his favorite position on the field, and what he learned playing in Europe.

HOW WERE THE LAST YEARS OF VICTOR HUGO?

After standing out at Flamengo in 2022, Victor Hugo was losing space and ended up being loaned in the middle of last year to Gotzepe, from Turkey. The contract ended in mid-2025, and the 21-year-old returned to Mengão. However, coach Filipe Luís used the player for only five minutes in the match against Ceará, in the Brasileirão. Subsequently, he was not included in some matches.

Out of the plans, Flamengo ended up loaning Victor Hugo to Santos until July 31, 2026. The player was close to defending Famalicão (POR), but due to fan pressure, the negotiation backed down, as the business model irritated directors and fans rubro-negros, because the young player would leave for free and permanently.

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