Vini Jr hails idol as Flamengo’s ‘hero’: “He saved us from relegation”

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Coluna do Fla

·22 June 2026

Vini Jr hails idol as Flamengo’s ‘hero’: “He saved us from relegation”

What did Vini Jr say to Renato Abreu, former Flamengo player?

Throughout its history, Flamengo has always had players who defined an era. With that in mind, Renato Abreu was one of the athletes who won over the hearts of the club’s red-and-black supporters. In the United States, Vini Jr even made a point of showering praise on the former Flamengo midfielder.

On social media, Renato Abreu shared a video of the meeting he had with Vini Jr at the World Cup. In the conversation, Brazil’s number 7 said the following: “He saved us (Flamengo) from relegation about eight times.”

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Besides Vini Jr, Matheus Cunha also took part in the chat. That way, the ‘Canarinho’ striker, who supported Flamengo as a child, also joked around with Renato Abreu.

WATCH THE VIDEO

View this photo on Instagram A post shared by 🆁🅴🅽🅰︎🆃🅾︎ 🅰︎🅱︎🆁🅴🆄 former athlete (@renatoabreu11)

IS RENATO ABREU A FLAMENGO IDOL?

Renato Abreu had two spells at Flamengo and, in both of them, the former midfielder left his name etched in the club’s history. Arriving in 2005, the former player was part of the squad that won the Copa do Brasil in 2006.

After that, Renato Abreu moved to football in the United Arab Emirates in 2007, returning to Flamengo the following year. In that second spell, however, the former player truly cemented his idol status among Flamengo supporters.

That’s because, in difficult moments, whether in relegation battles or in important matches, Renato Abreu was there. Because of that, the former player even earned the nickname ‘Urubu Rei’ (‘King Vulture’). Finally, besides the 2006 Copa do Brasil, the former midfielder won Campeonato Carioca titles, as well as several individual awards.

WHAT IS RENATO ABREU, FORMER FLAMENGO PLAYER, DOING AT THE WORLD CUP?

Renato Abreu currently lives in the United States. That way, the former player took advantage of the World Cup being held in the North American country to stay close to the ‘Amarelinha’ throughout the tournament.

WHAT IS VINI JR’S SITUATION WITH THE BRAZIL NATIONAL TEAM AT THE WORLD CUP?

After meeting Renato Abreu, Vini Jr remains available to Carlo Ancelotti in the Brazil national team. So far, the Flamengo academy product has been one of the ‘Canarinho’s’ main players at the World Cup, considering he has been involved in all of the team’s goals up to this point.

WHEN IS BRAZIL’S NEXT MATCH AT THE WORLD CUP?

With Vini Jr available, Flamengo returns to the field this Wednesday (24) to face Scotland in the third round of Group C at the World Cup. In short, the match kicks off at 8 p.m. (Brasília time) in Miami, United States. That way, Coluna do Fla TV, as usual, will show the match details on YouTube, as well as on the website and social media.

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