Alan Santos leaves Flamengo for Benfica and credits family for guidance | OneFootball

Alan Santos has agreed to leave Flamengo for Benfica, expressing gratitude to the Rio club and to his family. According to Globo.com, the 19-year-old forward is preparing for the move to Portugal.

The deal carries no immediate fee for Benfica, with Flamengo retaining 50% of the player’s economic rights for any future sale. He took part in Flamengo’s interseason in Portugal during the World Cup pause, was named once by Leonardo Jardim for a senior match, and featured in three Campeonato Carioca games.

Raised in the Tabajaras community in Rio’s South Zone, Santos overcame an early setback when Vasco released him around age 10 or 11 due to transport difficulties after his brother, who took him to training, started a job. He says that disappointment became motivation for big matches.

His path to Flamengo opened after he scored three goals for Boavista against Palmeiras in a youth tournament, earning a move to the Rubro-Negro. He then progressed through the ranks and into first-team contention.

Santos credits his mother Maria, father Reginaldo, and friend Vinicius for keeping him on track and says he now tries to guide youngsters from his community. He hopes to seize opportunities and, if all goes well, be at the 2030 World Cup.

He learned of Benfica’s interest after a training game against Madureira at Ninho do Urubu, where he provided an assist. Informed of the approach, he said he wanted to go to Europe, accepted the move and shared the news with his parents, who were delighted.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”