José Boto cites Messi and calls the press liars | OneFootball

Portuguese executive José Boto has been at Flamengo since January 2025

According to José Boto, one of the challenges of managing Flamengo is dealing with the press. That is because the football director believes that many times they use Flamengo’s name to create information with no factual basis. To illustrate the point, the Portuguese executive cited Messi as an example.

– There is something here in Brazil that I wasn’t used to. For example, say, you, as a journalist, make something up. You write, “Flamengo is interested in Messi.” So, with absolutely no factual basis -, Boto told A Bola, from Portugal, and added:

– And then it creates an almost nationwide discussion around something that has no truth to it at all, you know? And that’s just the beginning. It ended up causing wear and tear… But how is it possible that they are discussing something that does not match reality? And I would be walking down the street and people would say, “Don’t bring Messi!” -, he said.

How does Boto explain the situation with the press?

Then, the director laughed at his own joke about the Argentine star. The European executive explained that Rubro-Negro has enormous exposure, which generates major engagement, whether positive or negative.

Since when has José Boto been at Flamengo?

After building a career as an executive at European clubs, José Boto accepted Flamengo’s project, where he has been working since 2025. Since then, the executive has been involved in major moves by the club, such as signing Lucas Paquetá and dismissing Filipe Luís.

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