I say Gama: the son who made the Maestro return to Gávea
Now a beach soccer player for Flamengo, Junior's son tells what it's like to be the firstborn of one of the Mais Querido's greatest idols.
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
Any father knows how difficult it is to deny a son's request. It was no different with Maestro Junior. When Rodrigo requested to return to Gávea, when he was playing in Italy, the former left-back from the 1981 World Cup title didn't just come to the Red-Blacks. how he took on a new position on the teamAs a midfielder, now without the "helmet", he gained more freedom to move around the field, take free kicks, and play the role of captain.
"He's the one who tells that story, but I remember actually seeing the tape of him playing for Zico's Flamengo, scoring goals alongside him, most of the time at the Maracanã. As I've always been very close to my father and football, I was always with him at training, I watched the games from the bench, it was a natural thing to ask him to play for Flamengo. I don't remember the story very well, how it happened, I was very young, but I'm glad I asked (laughs)," he says.
Junior was 35 when he returned to Flamengo. "Grandpa Kid," as he became known during his second stint with the club, enjoyed many glorious years, scoring 74 goals and leading the Flamengo team to the Copa do Brasil in 1990 and the State Championship in 1991. 1992 was the pinnacle: the Maestro led Flamengo to its fifth Brazilian championship, at the age of 38. His many achievements with the Sacred Mantle, beginning in the 1980s, have made Junior one of the greatest names in the club's history.
"Being the son of one of Flamengo's greatest idols, a club I learned to love, whose games I still watch today, whose stadium I go to... All because of him, is an immense source of pride. Seeing that all that history is so close to me, that I can take in all the experience and examples, is what's most important and what I try to do every morning to take into my life," said Rodrigo.
As an adult, Rodrigo became known as Digo Gama and plays as a defensive midfielder for Flamengo's beach soccer team. This is another trait he inherited from his father, who was a major developer of the sport in Brazil, but Digo asserts that the Maestro is a role model for him off the field as well.
"The values he taught me were important to my life as an athlete, not only as a player, but also as a man, as a person. My father is the example of a decent, loyal man, with great integrity, who always helped others, whoever needed it. He was always there for me and gave me strength. His personality was also reflected on the field; he had that natural leadership style that we follow as an example, especially in life off the field. Many people don't know this side of him, but I had the privilege of experiencing it and learning a lot from him," he concluded.
"He's the one who tells that story, but I remember actually seeing the tape of him playing for Zico's Flamengo, scoring goals alongside him, most of the time at the Maracanã. As I've always been very close to my father and football, I was always with him at training, I watched the games from the bench, it was a natural thing to ask him to play for Flamengo. I don't remember the story very well, how it happened, I was very young, but I'm glad I asked (laughs)," he says.
Junior was 35 when he returned to Flamengo. "Grandpa Kid," as he became known during his second stint with the club, enjoyed many glorious years, scoring 74 goals and leading the Flamengo team to the Copa do Brasil in 1990 and the State Championship in 1991. 1992 was the pinnacle: the Maestro led Flamengo to its fifth Brazilian championship, at the age of 38. His many achievements with the Sacred Mantle, beginning in the 1980s, have made Junior one of the greatest names in the club's history.
"Being the son of one of Flamengo's greatest idols, a club I learned to love, whose games I still watch today, whose stadium I go to... All because of him, is an immense source of pride. Seeing that all that history is so close to me, that I can take in all the experience and examples, is what's most important and what I try to do every morning to take into my life," said Rodrigo.
As an adult, Rodrigo became known as Digo Gama and plays as a defensive midfielder for Flamengo's beach soccer team. This is another trait he inherited from his father, who was a major developer of the sport in Brazil, but Digo asserts that the Maestro is a role model for him off the field as well.
"The values he taught me were important to my life as an athlete, not only as a player, but also as a man, as a person. My father is the example of a decent, loyal man, with great integrity, who always helped others, whoever needed it. He was always there for me and gave me strength. His personality was also reflected on the field; he had that natural leadership style that we follow as an example, especially in life off the field. Many people don't know this side of him, but I had the privilege of experiencing it and learning a lot from him," he concluded.