Jean Lucas shares hopes for Bahia’s Libertadores debut | OneFootball

With the Libertadores once again on the calendar after 36 years of waiting, Bahia is preparing for its second consecutive participation in the tournament, an unprecedented milestone in its history. Next Wednesday (18), the Tricolor debuts in the second phase against O’Higgins from Chile, away from home. For this new challenge, coach Rogério Ceni places his trust in midfielder Jean Lucas, a key player in the previous campaign.

Jean Lucas was one of Bahia’s main standouts in the last edition of the Libertadores, having been decisive for the club’s historic campaign. He scored the goal that secured qualification for the group stage, in the 1-0 victory over Boston River. The number 6 played in all ten matches played by the team in the competition, finishing as the team’s top scorer with four goals, nearly half of the total scored by the squad. This performance made him the second highest scorer for Bahia in the history of the Libertadores, with six goals, behind only Charles.

Outstanding trajectory and national recognition

“The Libertadores is a dream, it’s huge, and we’re going to fight hard to have a great campaign. The team learned a lot from last season’s competition and is now more mature, tougher. We are prepared to face every challenge,” declared Jean Lucas.

In just over two years at the club, the midfielder has accumulated 125 matches, 10 goals and 7 assists. His continental prominence caught attention and earned him call-ups to the Brazilian National Team, under the command of Carlo Ancelotti, for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers. Jean made his debut in the yellow jersey against Bolivia, in El Alto, becoming the first player from a Northeastern club to be called up to the senior national team since Diego Souza, in 2017, and the first from Bahia since Luís Henrique, in 1991.

  See this photo on Instagram   A post shared by Esporte Clube Bahia (@ecbahia)

Continental ambition and focus on the present

Continuous participation in the Libertadores reinforces Bahia’s ambition to establish itself as a protagonist on the South American stage. In this context, Jean Lucas stands out as one of the pillars to support the club’s objectives in the competition.

“I’m happy to help and contribute with my teammates, regardless of scoring goals. The Libertadores is a great showcase, but my focus now is to have a good debut and return home with a good result,” said the midfielder, who has already contributed one goal and one assist in four matches played this season.

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