Farewell with a sense of duty fulfilled
Diego Mauricio goes to the under-20 team as the top scorer in the State Championship and with Fla in the lead
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Flamengo will be without its top scorer in the final rounds of the Guanabara Junior Cup. Diego Maurício, who has 11 goals in the competition, travels this Friday (March 26.03) to Barcelona and Dubai, where he will play friendlies and international tournaments with the Brazilian U-19 team. The center forward, however, leaves the team with a sense of accomplishment and is confident that his teammates will be able to maintain their lead and win the title in this first round.
The match against Vasco, last Wednesday (24.03), was Diego's last before boarding. And it couldn't have gone better. A hard-fought, come-from-behind victory, 2-1, which secured Flamengo's lead in the U-20 State Championship. And, of course, with a goal from the top scorer.
"We talked at halftime and knew we could either be out of the title race or we could be warriors and turn the game around. Everyone fought for each other and we got the win. Now I'm going to the national team with my head held high and calm, with the team in the lead, and I hope to return with the champion team," he said.
The trip, however, hasn't made Diego forget Flamengo, not even for a second. He assures he'll stay in constant contact with his teammates to check on the team's progress in Rio de Janeiro. After all, there's a derby against Botafogo this Saturday.
"I'll be traveling with the team, but I'll always be on MSN, on Orkut, tweeting... To talk to the guys and see how the team is doing here. They helped me a lot, they cheered for me on the team, and I'm also rooting for them in this final stretch of the Guanabara Cup," he explained.
Retribution
The player also reveals the importance of the red-and-black squad in his career. According to him, the unity of this squad, on and off the field, is crucial to success. And, with the yellow jersey, he hopes to repay all the support he always received at Gávea.
"I'm very happy with this call-up, and I hope to do my best. Not only for myself, but also for my teammates and Flamengo. I want to represent the club well, because this group is wonderful to work with. Now it's time to continue the work we've done here and seize this opportunity," he concluded.
The match against Vasco, last Wednesday (24.03), was Diego's last before boarding. And it couldn't have gone better. A hard-fought, come-from-behind victory, 2-1, which secured Flamengo's lead in the U-20 State Championship. And, of course, with a goal from the top scorer.
"We talked at halftime and knew we could either be out of the title race or we could be warriors and turn the game around. Everyone fought for each other and we got the win. Now I'm going to the national team with my head held high and calm, with the team in the lead, and I hope to return with the champion team," he said.
The trip, however, hasn't made Diego forget Flamengo, not even for a second. He assures he'll stay in constant contact with his teammates to check on the team's progress in Rio de Janeiro. After all, there's a derby against Botafogo this Saturday.
"I'll be traveling with the team, but I'll always be on MSN, on Orkut, tweeting... To talk to the guys and see how the team is doing here. They helped me a lot, they cheered for me on the team, and I'm also rooting for them in this final stretch of the Guanabara Cup," he explained.
Retribution
The player also reveals the importance of the red-and-black squad in his career. According to him, the unity of this squad, on and off the field, is crucial to success. And, with the yellow jersey, he hopes to repay all the support he always received at Gávea.
"I'm very happy with this call-up, and I hope to do my best. Not only for myself, but also for my teammates and Flamengo. I want to represent the club well, because this group is wonderful to work with. Now it's time to continue the work we've done here and seize this opportunity," he concluded.