Flamengo idol recalls fans' 'fright' on arrival: “They invaded my…”

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Coluna do Fla

·18 de junho de 2026

Flamengo idol recalls fans' 'fright' on arrival: “They invaded my…”

What did Diego Alves say about the fans’ ‘invasion’ on social media?

Diego Alves is one of the main figures of the most successful seasons in Flamengo history in recent years, which culminated in Libertadores and Brasileirão titles. Before his journey with Mengão began, however, the former goalkeeper recalled the ‘shock’ he got from the red-and-black fans.

In an interview on the ‘Inteligência LTDA’ podcast, Diego Alves said his social media was ‘invaded’ by Flamengo fans even before he had any negotiations with the club. Because of that, the former red-and-black No. 1 recalled that it sparked his interest in finding out whether Flamengo really wanted him.

Vídeos OneFootball

“When I go on vacation to Brazil, to this day I still don’t understand Flamengo’s fans, they invaded my social media with the hashtag ‘come be happy at Mengão.’ During that period, Valencia (ESP) was negotiating me with La Coruña (ESP), and I didn’t want to go there. When I saw this Flamengo situation and it was almost time for me to return to Spain, I looked into it to find out what was true about it,” he said, before concluding: “At the time, Rodrigo Caetano was Flamengo’s director, and I called him. When I spoke with him, he himself told me there was nothing going on, but from that point on we started talking. At first it was only something from the fans, but then it became something huge. From 30 thousand followers, I went to 180 thousand...,” Diego concluded.

HOW DID THE FANS’ MOVEMENT TO SIGN DIEGO ALVES HAPPEN?

This push from the Flamengo fans came at a time when the club was dealing with a shortage of goalkeepers. Because of that, supporters used social media to suggest players to the club online. In Diego Alves’ case, the movement grew so much that it reached both the former goalkeeper and Fla’s board.

HOW DID DIEGO ALVES’ NEGOTIATION WITH FLAMENGO GO?

After this initial push from the fans, Diego Alves was practically the one who negotiated with Flamengo. That is because, according to the former player, his agent did not believe that the Rubro-Negro was looking for a goalkeeper.

“My agent was Spanish, and he didn’t believe Flamengo wanted to sign a goalkeeper. Until the moment I told him I was negotiating with the club. After all the back-and-forth, my agent called me and asked me to ask whether they wanted me on a permanent deal. I signed a three-and-a-half-year contract, and the deal went through,” Diego Alves concluded.

WHAT WAS DIEGO ALVES’ SPELL AT FLAMENGO LIKE?

Diego Alves arrived at Flamengo in 2017, when he went through some turbulent periods. However, two years later, the club’s path changed and the former goalkeeper became part of the ‘2019 Generation,’ which has its name written in history.

Throughout his entire time there, Diego Alves won 13 titles wearing the Sacred Shirt. Among the most memorable are two Libertadores titles (2019 and 2022), two Brasileirão titles (2019 and 2020), as well as one Copa do Brasil (2022). Finally, the former goalkeeper also played for Celta de Vigo (ESP) before announcing the end of his career.

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