World Cup player relieved to have left Flamengo

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Coluna do Fla

·16 de junho de 2026

World Cup player relieved to have left Flamengo

Matias Viña is on loan from Flamengo to River Plate (ARG)

Third choice at Flamengo under Filipe Luís last year, Matias Viña left the club on loan to play for River Plate (ARG). The change of scenery played a key role in his call-up for the World Cup, according to the Uruguayan himself in an interview given to FIFA’s website last Saturday (13).— It was an important step to make the decision to go to River, to look for a bit more continuity, which I wasn’t getting at Flamengo because of my injury and the number of full-backs we had in that position. And I tried to pursue that. I left thinking about the World Cup, trying to arrive with a bit more rhythm than I had at Flamengo. So I tried to find that continuity to arrive at the national team in the best possible way and earn my place at the World Cup — he said.

In 2025, Viña was behind Alex Sandro and Ayrton Lucas in then-manager Filipe Luís’s pecking order. The Uruguayan was even surplus to requirements in training. So, in search of more minutes, the player asked to be transferred, aiming for a World Cup call-up.

HAS VIÑA BEEN PLAYING AT RIVER PLATE?

This season, Viña has made 14 appearances, more than the ten he made in 2025 for Flamengo. It is worth noting, however, that the player missed practically the entire first half of last year while recovering from a serious knee injury.

Vídeos OneFootball

WHAT IS VIÑA’S CONTRACT STATUS WITH RIVER PLATE?

Flamengo will receive R$ 2.7 million for the full-back’s loan. If Viña plays at least 50% of River Plate’s matches in 2026, the mandatory purchase clause, set at R$ 27 million, will be triggered. Otherwise, the Uruguayan will return to the Rubro-Negro to fulfill the remainder of his contract. The deal runs until December 2028.

This Monday (15), Argentine journalist Hernán Castillo reported that River Plate had terminated Viña’s contract. However, journalist Mônica Alves, from Coluna do Fla, learned from Flamengo that the information is incorrect. After all, the Argentinians would have to cover his wages until December 2026.

DID VIÑA’S WORLD CUP PLAN WORK OUT?

Viña accomplished his “mission” of being called up for the World Cup. In fact, the full-back will start for Uruguay this Monday (15) against Saudi Arabia in the opening round. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. (Brasília time), with full coverage from Coluna do Fla on the website, social media, and YouTube.

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