Ronaldo da Silva Souza, or simply Ronaldo, is the versatile defensive midfielder for Flamengo's under-20 team, who also plays as a full-back or midfielder. A native of Itu, in the interior of São Paulo, the 19-year-old joined Flamengo in 2013 and has since won a State Championship, a Guanabara Cup, a Rio Cup, and an Otávio Pinto Guimarães Tournament (OPG).

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The midfielder told us about his career beginnings in the interior of São Paulo.

"When I was 7 or 8 years old, I enrolled in a soccer school in Sorocaba/SP (where I lived at the time to be able to play and where my family still lives today). When I was 12 or 13, I ended up at a business club. Then I started playing for Paulista de Jundiaí and from there I got to Flamengo with the help of a scout," he said.

The player, who stood out in the first phase of the 2016 São Paulo Junior Cup, spoke about his participation in the competition in 2015.

"It was an incredible experience to play in the Copinha in 2015. Just like the group today, we were very united. Unfortunately, we weren't champions, but the Copa São Paulo brings great visibility and the fans get to know our work better," he said.  

Ronaldo also revealed how he ended up in the youth ranks of the Mais Querido at just 16 years old. "I was playing for Paulista de Jundiaí when a Flamengo scout – named Guerrero – saw me play and liked me. I arrived to do a two-week trial and ended up being signed," he said.

The under-20 team entered the field last Thursday (07.01) already qualified to face União Mogi and concluded its participation in the first stage of the Copa São Paulo de Juniores with a 100% success rate by beating the Mogi team 3-1. Next Sunday (10.01) the red-blacks will face Brasília, at 20:30 pm, at the Francisco Ribeiro Nogueira stadium, the Nogueirão, for the second phase of the Copinha.