Flaco López thanks Palmeiras after record feat: “They welcomed me” | OneFootball

Flaco López reached the milestone of 200 matches for Palmeiras last Thursday. The Argentine forward spoke about the historic mark achieved in the 2-1 win over Grêmio in the Brasileirão and thanked the club for the way it welcomed him when he arrived.

“It’s a tremendous feeling of happiness. I arrived here as a kid, and it was my first experience outside my country. The beginning was a little difficult, but Palmeiras welcomed me in the best possible way and gave me all the tools to improve day by day, to be able to do what I love, help Palmeiras, and stand out as well. I’m 100% grateful to Palmeiras. I never imagined I would reach this number of matches. I’m happy and proud,” he said.

He is the fourth player in the squad to reach this mark, joining Murilo, Piquerez, and Gustavo Gómez. At the moment, Flaco has played 200 matches: 118 as a starter and 82 coming off the bench. This season, he is the team’s outright top scorer, with nine goals.

World Cup expectations

Flaco López has been an important piece in Abel Ferreira’s team. His good form has earned him call-ups to the Argentina national team, and now the player is looking forward to the possibility of playing in the World Cup with the squad led by Lionel Scaloni.

During the last FIFA international window, he was available for his national team alongside right back Giay, his Palmeiras teammate.

“Very happy. The moment I found out, I was very happy for Giay, for the work he’s been doing as well. I know how much he did to be there. It’s much easier when you have people you like, sharing the same thing you love. It’s really good. So it was a special call-up. We work very hard, the World Cup is coming soon, and we’re preparing in the best way possible,” he said.

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Palmeiras in the standings

With the win over Grêmio, Palmeiras reached 22 points and now hold a three-point lead at the top of the table. Fluminense are right behind with 19. The green-and-white side has seven wins, one draw, and one loss. Flaco López analyzed the match against the team from Rio Grande do Sul.

“It was a game in which we were a little less precise than usual. Some players had been away with their national teams for a while and had less preparation time than the guys who stayed here. So that’s normal. We played a good game and got a very important win to give us an advantage in the league,” Flaco said.

Palmeiras’ next match

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