Journalist backs Lucas Paquetá and digs at Palmeiras star over odd reason | OneFootball

Lucas Paquetá has scored seven goals for Flamengo in 2026

Lucas Paquetá was signed by Flamengo in January this year, but he became a target for rival fans because of his performances on the pitch. For Rodrigo Mattos, however, the Flamengo midfielder stands out, and he compared him to Jhon Arias, Palmeiras’ new signing, who has scored fewer goals.

— Paquetá has become, I don’t know if the main player, but before there were some people saying: he’s not all that, he’s not a player at that level and all. It seems to me that he’s a very different player from everyone else. […] His goal average is extremely high, if we compare him with players who play as attackers, like Arias—not to downplay the player—but his average is worse than Paquetá’s —, he began.

— The two arrived together and there was a lot of comparison at the beginning, what one was and what the other was. Besides that, he offers many other things. He’s a player far above average in Brazilian football, but that was obvious. I don’t know why people are surprised, it was obvious, it was what he was delivering abroad, sometimes in an even more competitive environment —, he concluded in a video posted on social media.

WHAT IS THE COMPARISON?

Lucas Paquetá scored against Bahia last Sunday (19) in the Brazilian Championship. As a result, the Flamengo midfielder now has seven goals in 20 matches wearing the red-and-black shirt.

Meanwhile, Jhon Arias has fewer goals in that span. The Colombian Palmeiras forward has played 14 matches in 2026. So far, the Palmeiras player has scored three times and provided one assist for his teammates.

WHEN DO FLAMENGO PLAY?

Without Lucas Paquetá, who will be rested, Flamengo take the field this Wednesday (22) against Vitória at the Maracanã at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time). As such, Coluna do Fla will bring all the information about the match, which marks Mengo’s debut in the 2026 Copa do Brasil.

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