Scout says Botafogo ‘found’ Plata before Flamengo, why they pulled out | OneFootball

Raphael Rezende, former Botafogo head scout, revealed that Plata was ultimately vetoed for off-field reasons

Gonzalo Plata arrived at Flamengo in 2024, but the Ecuadorian almost ended up at Botafogo instead. The rival club’s scouting department discussed the forward’s name, but his off-field history weighed heavily in General Severiano’s decision to walk away from the deal. Former Engenhão head scout Raphael Rezende shared details of the situation.

— The (recommendations) that stand out are the ones we veto and then the guy goes on to tear it up. We had reservations about Plata because of off-field issues. Technically, he has been relevant. We approached it with huge off-field concerns. The scout analyzes personality. Botafogo had the chance to invest in Plata before Flamengo; it was heavily debated. Technically, he was approved, without question — Rezende began.

— He has one-on-one ability, lightness, direct play, purpose, decision-making ability, and finishing near the box. We identified many things that matched our style of play, but on the other hand, there were huge doubts about whether that would be enough to handle the day-to-day and allow him to be effective. He went to Flamengo and the off-field issues are screaming — concluded the scout in an interview with ‘Charla Podcast’.

          View this photo on Instagram                         A post shared by Charla Podcast (@charlapodcast)

WAS PLATA WORTH IT?

At Flamengo, Plata shares sports headlines with stories about his parties in Rio de Janeiro. However, on the field, the Ecuadorian has already written his name into the club’s history, including scoring the title-winning goal in the Copa do Brasil in 2024, at Arena MRV, against Atlético-MG.

WHAT OTHER TITLES HAS PLATA WON, ANYWAY?

In just over a year at Flamengo, Plata has won practically every possible title: the Copa do Brasil, the Brasileirão, the Libertadores, two Carioca titles, the Supercopa, the Derby of the Americas, and the Challenger Cup. Therefore, only the Club World Cup and the Recopa remain.

While Plata moves closer to ‘100%-ing the game’ at Flamengo, the player is with the Ecuador national team for the World Cup. ‘La Tri’ will make its debut on the 14th against Ivory Coast at 8:00 p.m. (Brasília time), with coverage from Coluna do Fla.

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