Ex-Palmeiras' Felipe Melo recalls almost ending Vini Jr's Flamengo rise | OneFootball

Felipe Melo made a criminal tackle on Vini Jr in Palmeiras vs Flamengo in 2018

Now a pundit for Grupo Globo, Felipe Melo nearly harmed the career of Vini Jr. In a Palmeiras vs Flamengo match in 2018, the former defensive midfielder scissored the then red-and-black prospect in a game played at Allianz Parque in the Brazilian Championship. During a debate this Thursday (02) about who was greater at 18 — ex-Mengão star or Spain’s Yamal , the former player praised the academy product.

— I went in hard on the ‘man’. Some people said I tried to murder Vini. We drew that game, it was in 2018, when we won the league. Then, in 2019, Flamengo won everything, so there’s no issue. Vini knocked the ball ahead, there was no way… — Felipe Melo began.

— Either I committed the foul, or he was going to score. If I got sent off, no problem. He was already showing he was a phenomenon at that age. He and Paquetá, so young, played football like it was child’s play — added the commentator during the program ‘Seleção Copa’ on the subscription channel ‘SporTV’.

WHAT WAS THE CONTEXT OF THE DEBATE?

This Thursday (02), 18-year-old Lamine Yamal was named man of the match in Spain’s 3-0 win over Austria in the World Cup knockout stage. That sparked the debate over who is greater: the Barcelona (ESP) forward or Vini Jr. Host André Rizek campaigned for the European.

— At 18, Vini was facing you (Felipe Melo). He was already a phenomenon, sold to Real Madrid, but at 18 he was a Flamengo player and all that. Yamal, at 18, is a candidate to be the star of the World Cup. At 16, he won the European Championship — said Rizek.

WHAT WAS THE MATCH OF FELIPE MELO’S TACKLE LIKE?

In the 2018 match, Vini Jr’s last in a Flamengo shirt, Palmeiras opened the scoring through Willian, but Thuler leveled it in the second half. In that same second half, Felipe Melo made the criminal tackle on the Flamengo player, catching the academy product flush on the ankle, but the referee only showed a yellow card, enraging all the Fla players.

The match, played on June 13, 2018, before the break for the World Cup in Russia, only had send-offs at the end of the derby because of a mass brawl. For Mengão, Gustavo Cuéllar, Henrique Dourado and Jonas were shown red. For Palmeiras, Dudu, Jaílson and Luan also ended up in the ‘early shower’.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION ON THE MATTER?

— The debate is valid, but still empty. Okay, Yamal’s start is frightening, but will he reach 25, Vini’s age, with two Champions League titles, goals in both finals, three Club World Cup titles and much more? Only time will tell — opined Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

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