Football manager Luiz Carlos Azevedo was the guest on FlaTV's "Garotos do Ninho" this Monday (24) and talked about his work with the youth academy, the process of recruitment, adaptation and transition to professional football, and consequently, the technical and financial return that Mais Querido has because of these talents from Ninho. Check out some excerpts from the interview:

Criteria and characteristics used to search for athletes for Flamengo

"Without a doubt, for youth soccer, we have several steps. The first is recruitment. I need to recruit the best players so I can develop them, achieve success, and transition them to professional soccer, which is our main goal within our development process. So, it's our gateway, which begins with futsal, our scouts, and partner clubs. To play for Flamengo, a player must have technical quality, and based on their physical condition and other factors, we look for the best fit for them."

Financial importance of selling youth athletes

"We have very clear goals. The main one is to develop players for professional football; that's what drives us. We need to develop quality players, winners, accustomed to youth achievements, accustomed to big games, so that these players can make the transition to professional football, return to the technical field, and later, given Flamengo's current stature and level, we understand that we can generate financial returns."

Integration of the base with the professional

"We can have the best youth academy in the world, but if we don't have alignment, support, and integration with professional football, we lose athletes along the way. So, we must always emphasize and be grateful for the process, the care, and the openness that Flamengo's professional football academy provides to youth athletes. This is crucial for us; we are fully aware that our work is geared toward serving professional football, which in turn generates opportunities and visibility for our athletes."

*Text supervised by Rômulo Paranhos

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