Defenders Theo and Bernardo's friendship began off the field and extended onto the field. Now undergraduate students in Physical Education at Estácio University, the Flamengo players divide their time between studying and training for the "Mais Querido" (The Most Beloved).

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"This synchronicity on and off the field goes back a long way. I played for Audax before joining Flamengo, and he was already here. Ironically, I ended up coming here, and that strengthened our friendship even further," explained midfielder Theo. "You have to put up with it (laughs). We've already arrived at training together because we live close by and can give each other rides. Then we meet again at college and we still have some classes together," joked Bernardo.

The players' journeys at Mais Querido began four years apart. For Bernardo, the story began with the youth team. "I joined the club in 2010 on the U-13 team. Since then, I've progressed through the ranks, moving up to the U-15, U-17, and now the Juniors," said the defender. "I started playing for Flamengo in early 2014 and moved to the youth team, continuing to the U-20s today," said Theo. 

The defenders met in high school, when they were in the 9th grade together. Now, they both share the same goal: to defend the red-and-black colors in the professional team. "We need to do our part in the Juniors first and always go in focused, because we want to surprise when the time comes," said the midfielder.

For Bernardo, working closely with the first team every day is important for the development of the youth players. "It's a good relationship. They train on the field next door, and we can be called upon to help with some activity at any time. Playing for Flamengo, especially at the professional level, is every kid's dream. We've made it this far, but we still want to go further," he said.

The duo's next objective is already in the decision this Wednesday (23). "We hope to first win the Carioca title. Then, we will start working focused on the Copa RS and already begin planning for the São Paulo Junior Football Cup, which starts at the beginning of next year", commented Bernardo.

"We're tired of missing out and we really want to win this State Championship. We need to focus on this decision first and then think about winning all the other titles," concluded Theo.

The Ninho Boys take the field this Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. at Moça Bonita Stadium in Bangu for the second leg of the U-20 Rio de Janeiro State Championship final. Vasco won the first leg 2-1.