A project aimed at connecting professional athletes with youth players, Papo de Campeão (Champion Chat) is a perfect fit for Flamengo. Thanks to the quality of the club's first-team squad, Flamengo's U-17 squad was able to listen to and ask questions of Jorginho, who won the European Championship with Italy, and the Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea, all in the 2020/2021 season.

Despite all the reverence for Mengão's number 21, the kids didn't leave the jokes aside at the event held this Tuesday, at CT George Helal, in the auditorium located in the youth teams area. 

"Is Kanté down to earth?" asked one of the athletes, curious to know more about the Frenchman, who won the 2020 World Cup with the French national team.

The Mengão midfielder found it funny, but made a point of heaping praise on his former Chelsea teammate, considered the best on the pitch in the Champions League final against Manchester City, won 1-0 by the London team, in the English classic.

"He's very nice, he doesn't say anything. He doesn't open his mouth for the entire 90 minutes and he's a giant on the field," said Jorginho.

Another, certainly thinking about the future, wanted to hear from the midfielder what it's like to play in the most iconic stadium in the world, packed with red-and-black fans.

"A packed Maracanã was one of the most emotional I've ever felt, even though I've played in many historic stadiums. It was very special. I tried in Brazil and it didn't work out. To come back and achieve it is sensational," he said.

Jorginho's chat had several moments of silence, which clearly demonstrated everyone's attention to hear the words of someone who left Brazil as a child and achieved practically every possible football dream.

"The importance of speaking to younger athletes is great. But it's even more important that they see my participation. Words fly, but the example remains. It's good for the boys to see this up close, and I hope they listened and learned. The least they take away is already positive. I hope they take something away," said the midfielder.

Being confronted by someone who has achieved practically everything possible in their career doesn't happen often. Jorginho was fully aware of this and tried to be as clear as possible when discussing the most common characteristics of those who have reached the top. These were probably not unfamiliar words for young listeners, but they take on weight when spoken by the third-best player in the world in the 2020/2021 season.

"The greatest were the simplest, the ones who treated people the best," he assures, adding that it takes strength to overcome obstacles.

"I was in the top three in the world after my worst six months of a season. You need resilience and perseverance, because things change quickly. There was a change of coach, and everything worked out, with the Champions League, European Championship, and Super Cup titles. You need balance. Always want to be the best. I always listened and absorbed a lot, and the information I gained helped me adapt on the field, tactically speaking," he concluded.

The words of Jorge Luiz Frello Filho, known as Jorginho, born on December 20, 1991, serve as an example not only for the under-17 athletes who arrived in the world in 2008, but also for everyone present in the auditorium. Flamengo's youth academy director, Alfredo Almeida, who is hosting the Champion Chat alongside Patricia Negreiros, coordinator of the human development department, offered his gratitude, as did coach Daniel Franklin, on behalf of himself and his coaching staff.