Ex-Cruzeiro player: Jardim nearly replaced Filipe Luís at Flamengo | OneFootball

Flamengo had difficulty renewing with Filipe Luís and negotiated with Leonardo Jardim

The last weeks of 2025 were tense for Flamengo fans. That’s because Flamengo had trouble renewing Filipe Luís’s contract. When negotiations stalled, Mengo spoke with Leonardo Jardim, who was leaving Cruzeiro. However, the Portuguese coach had promised to take a break from his career.

— If there’s one thing I value in the mister (Jardim), it’s his character. Countless times he told President Pedrinho (Lourenço, from Cruzeiro) that in Brazil he would only coach Cruzeiro, no one else. After we left, there was an approach from Flamengo, a meeting, but keeping your word is very important — revealed Leonardo Jardim’s assistant, Diogo Dias.

— For him, more than money, character is untouchable. In this sense, he kept his word that he wouldn’t coach another Brazilian team. He also didn’t want to return to work here in Brazil so soon — added Jardim’s assistant from his Cruzeiro days, in an interview with ‘No Ataque’.

WHO WERE FLAMENGO’S TARGETS?

Flamengo and Filipe Luís took a while to reach an agreement, due to debates over salary, contract length, and the value of the release clause. Because of this, the Rubro-Negro pursued Leonardo Jardim and two other coaches: Artur Jorge, currently in the Arab world, and Thiago Motta, formerly of Juventus (ITA).

However, in the last week of December, Filipe Luís said “yes” to Flamengo’s proposal and renewed his contract. The agreement is valid for two years, that is, until December 2027. Now, the coach is focused on repeating 2025, when he won the Libertadores and the Brasileirão.

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