Benefiting from an ever-increasing integration between all its departments and professional football, Flamengo's youth academy never tires of breaking records. In addition to the 24 titles won so far in 2021—with 11 youth competitions still to be contested before the end of the season, the "Mais Querido" needs to win just four more to surpass the all-time record of 27 trophies won in 2019—there's another impressive number. With two Brazilian Championship matches remaining, Flamengo's professional academy has already selected 34 players from its youth academy for at least one official match throughout 2021. Those who follow the daily work at the George Helal Training Center are not impressed by this number.

The successful performance of Flamengo's youth football over the past few years, not only in terms of its sporting results, but also in the constant increase in the number of athletes loaned out and who perform satisfactorily in professional football, is directly related to the production chain carried out by the department, with a gradual increase in investment, which is directly related to all the constant developments and improvements in its structure and processes, always in the pursuit of daily excellence in work and delivery of results.

"Every year, the club has been increasing its investment and improving its recruitment, development, and transition processes for athletes from our youth academy," said Bruno Spindel, Flamengo's Executive Director of Football. He added: "Every day, our youth academy is becoming more integrated, in all its processes, with professional football. The technical departments are very close, which is crucial for the development, transition, and performance of athletes, and also for ensuring they perform at their best when they reach the professional team, something that has been happening satisfactorily in recent years. Flamengo has been developing great athletes for its professional football and for the world," concluded Bruno Spindel.

Another interesting point is that, since the beginning of 2021, all matches in the U-15, U-17, and U-20 categories have been broadcast live. FlaTV, the club's official channel, broadcasts all of the Garotos do Ninho's matches in the State Championships, Copa FCB, Copa Rio, and the Otavio Pinto Guimarães Tournament, the only one Flamengo didn't compete in this season. Broadcasts of the national competitions (Copa do Brasil and Campeonato Brasileiro) are broadcast on free-to-air, cable, and online television channels through CBF TV. This also contributes to the development of the athletes and promotes greater exposure of the club's assets, which, in addition to technical returns, can also generate financial returns in the future.

"In my opinion, the most important thing isn't the number itself, but the fact that these 34 athletes reach the professional level balanced and capable, in every aspect, of playing their best football and providing Flamengo with a significant technical and, in the future, financial return. This is a source of great pride for us, and demonstrates that the work carried out by our Youth Football Department, in all its areas, has been yielding results and being carried out with excellence, year after year," said Vitor Zanelli, Vice President of Youth Football, Women's Football, and Futsal at Flamengo. Vitor added: "Furthermore, it's very important to develop through winning. Flamengo does this with distinction. The athletes trained in our youth system reach the professional level with numerous titles under their belts and accustomed to the joy of winning. This is fundamental and is part of the Rubro-Negro DNA," explained Zanelli.

Flamengo's current Transition Manager and former General Manager of the club's Youth Football for nearly ten years, Carlos Noval has closely followed the Department's development over the past few years. Today, with his keen eye and history of direct involvement in the development of several "Garotos do Ninho" players, such as Vinicius Junior, Lucas Paquetá, Reinier, and many others, he oversees the entire transition process within Flamengo's football.

"There's no doubt that Flamengo currently has one of the best youth development programs in Brazil. This translates into sporting results, the advancement of athletes to professional football, and the constant sale of these assets, generating technical and financial returns for the club. Our main mission is to closely monitor the entire development process of our youth players so that they can reach professional football as well prepared as possible, which has been happening frequently," concluded Carlos Noval.

List of Ninho Boys related to professional games in 2021:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Souza, Gabriel Batista, Cesar, João Fernando, Matheus Cunha and Bruno
Fullbacks: Matheuzinho, Ramon, Luís Gustavo, Luan and Wesley
Defenders: Noga, Otávio, Natan and Cleiton
Defensive midfielders: Gomes, Hugo Moura, Daniel Cabral, Richard Rios, Lucas André and Peralta
Midfielders: Max, Yuri de Oliveira, Matheus França and Pepê
Attackers: Lazaro, Thiaguinho, Werton, Ryan Luka, Rodrigo Muniz, André, Vitor Gabriel, Mateusão ​​and Gabriel Barros.