Léo Ortiz on why he chose Flamengo over a Champions League move | OneFootball

Is Léo Ortiz available for Filipe Luís for the Flamengo vs. Racing (ARG) match?

An undisputed starter for Flamengo, Léo Ortiz is one of the main players for Mengão in 2025. However, in July of this year, the defender was close to leaving Rio de Janeiro after receiving an offer from Red Bull Leipzig (GER). Now, the defender recalled the proposal and revealed the reason for staying at Fla.

– I was happy, it's a good thing to be valued by a club that today competes in the Champions League at times, fights for the German Championship some years, but of course, I always said I had the goal of winning major titles with the Flamengo jersey -, he said, before concluding:

– The Libertadores is one, the Brazilian Championship is another that I haven't had the opportunity to win here, which is why I chose to stay, because it's my desire to make history at Flamengo and I felt the right moment was to be here -, concluded Léo Ortiz, in an interview with ‘ESPN’.

What was the proposal that Flamengo received?

In July 2025, Leipzig attempted to sign Léo Ortiz. At the time, the German team sent a proposal of 15 million euros (about R$ 93 million) to Flamengo. Thus, besides Mengão not wanting to sell the defender, the defender wanted to stay at Rubro-Negro.

What is Léo Ortiz's situation?

In Flamengo's 3-2 victory over Palmeiras on October 19, Léo Ortiz left the field with pain still in the first half. After the match, tests revealed a sprain in the defender's right ankle.

Thus, Léo Ortiz missed Flamengo's last two games of the season. However, the defender is now 100% recovered and is available for Filipe Luís for the second clash against Racing (ARG) in the Libertadores semifinal.

What is Flamengo's next match?

With Léo Ortiz available, Flamengo will meet Racing again this Wednesday (29), for the return match of the Libertadores semifinal. The ball will roll at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), at the Presidente Perón Stadium in Avellaneda.

Thus, as tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will provide the best internet coverage through YouTube, the website, and social media. However, Globo (open channel) and GE TV (YouTube) will broadcast the Flamengo vs. Racing match.

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