Clube de Regatas do Flamengo announces that Cleber dos Santos is the new coach of the U-20 team. Alongside the coach, Sandro Gomes will also join as his assistant coach.

The new coach takes over this Thursday (3), continuing the work for the rest of the season. Flamengo has next Saturday (5), the first match of the Carioca Championship final against Vasco and, if they qualify this Wednesday in the Copa do Brasil debut, they will have the knockout stage of the competition ahead. Later this year, the U-20 team will begin preparations for the 2025 São Paulo Junior Football Cup in December. 

Cleber and Sandro were trained by Flamengo and are returning to the club. Cleber coached the U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17, U-20, and professional soccer teams in 2017. Sandro specialized in physical preparation and performance analysis at the club, where he coached the U-13, U-14, U-20, and professional soccer teams. The new members of the coaching staff spoke about their return to Flamengo.

"It's a great honor for me to return to Flamengo. The club where I was formed, where I truly learned what it means to honor the sacred mantle. I was able to participate here as a coach for all the youth teams and as an assistant coach for the professional team. I worked here with the U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17, and U-20 teams, and we were fortunate enough to win titles in all of these categories. I was able to truly showcase Flamengo's DNA. A team with a lot of aggression, focused on attacking play, so we can develop players truly with this philosophy," said Cleber dos Santos, the new U-20 coach.

"I'm very happy and honored to be back. This is a club where I truly feel at home, and I've met many people here during my time there. I started out in physical training, and then moved into performance analysis, both working at the youth level. I've worked in analysis for the U-13, U-14, U-20, and professional teams," said Sandro Gomes, celebrating his return to Flamengo's youth academy.

He also shared his experiences in different areas that can help in the development of the Ninho Boys.

"These days, it's crucial for multiple areas to work within a coaching staff. The more knowledge we have, the more we can benefit from it. For example, today, you structure a team by considering loads, how you'll prepare training, and the technical and tactical aspects of performance analysis—in other words, you maximize it," he stated.

The new members of the U-20 coaching staff also praised the youth soccer module at the George Helal Training Center, Ninho do Urubu. Cleber dos Santos recalled the pleasure of opening the facility with the professional team and highlighted the facilities currently available for the athletes and coaching staff.

"I was fortunate to be able to debut this module with the main team. It truly is a professional structure, even at the youth level. The athletes feel very motivated and engaged by this entire environment here, which we intend to build in a very positive way," said Cleber, who was echoed in his praise by Sandro:

"I know the place very well and was very happy to see the state of the art. It had been three years since I'd been here, and I also saw some of the work they've done. It's a great environment for developing athletes and enhancing the work of the coaching staff," he commented.

The new coach and assistant coach of Mengão's U-20 team will not be in the coaching area this Wednesday (today), for the Copa do Brasil debut against Porto Vitória-ES, at 15 pm, in Gávea. The team will be led by Raphael Bahia, who has been a member of the category's coaching staff since the beginning of 2024. Cleber dos Santos said, however, that he will be watching the match and has already projected the first game against Vasco for the Campeonato Carioca title.

"I have high expectations of doing a great job. We have this Copa do Brasil game today. I'll be watching the match with coach Raphael Bahia leading the team, and as we move on, we have other phases to play, and we're already focused on Saturday's final against Vasco, a very important derby. It's always important to start with big games, which are truly crucial in the career of every coach and every athlete," he concluded.