Why does Saúl want to leave Flamengo? Key factors behind Spaniard's wish | OneFootball

Saúl has fallen out of favor under Leonardo Jardim and has not played an official match in 73 days

Saúl Ñíguez wants to leave Flamengo. The information was first reported by ‘O Globo’ and confirmed by Coluna do Fla’s reporting. Internally, the feeling is that this desire to terminate his contract or negotiate an exit is perfectly natural.

The player’s main motivation is the lack of opportunities to play. After all, Saúl arrived at Flamengo surrounded by high expectations, performed well in the 2025 season, still under Filipe Luís, before suffering an injury. However, afterward, he ended up completely losing his place under coach Leonardo Jardim.

With a contract running until December 2028 and one of the highest salaries in the squad, the 31-year-old Spaniard is looking for a new destination where he can finish his career while playing regularly. It is worth noting that Saúl has not taken the field in the last four matches.

Ahead of Saúl in midfield are Pulgar, Jorginho, Evertton Araújo, and Paquetá. In addition, there is De La Cruz, who deals with chronic physical issues that limit his run of games.

WHEN DID SAÚL LAST PLAY?

Saúl’s last official appearance came against Coritiba on May 30, when he stayed on the field for only 15 minutes. Consequently, given this unfavorable situation, the player’s staff is already active in the market looking for a new club. The transfer window remains open until September 11.

HOW MANY GAMES DOES SAÚL HAVE IN 2026?

In total, in the 2026 season, Saúl has played nine matches, two of them as a starter. In the meantime, the number 8 has totaled 237 minutes on the field in the Brasileirão, Libertadores, and Copa do Brasil, according to the statistics website ‘OGol’.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

Saúl is available for Flamengo’s next match, which takes place this Wednesday (12) against Cruzeiro. The ball rolls at Mineirão in the first leg of the Libertadores round of 16.

WHERE TO FOLLOW THE MATCH?

Follow every step of Mengão with Coluna do Fla, which is preparing special coverage for both matches. For the clash against Cruzeiro, our team will be ‘in loco’ in Belo Horizonte, bringing exclusive information and all the details in real time through the website, social media, and YouTube.

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