Maria Peck celebrates her call-up to the U-17 National Team
The first athlete from the red-black youth academy chosen to wear the Brazilian jersey, Menina da Gávea celebrates a good moment in her career
By Rafael Rezende - in
Last week, coach Simone Jatobá announced the list of players who will participate in a training period for the U-17 National Team at Granja Comary, aiming for the 2020 South American Championship. Flamengo's standout player of the year, Maria Peck was called up and became the first Rubro-Negro athlete to be included in a youth squad call-up in history.
At just fifteen years old, Peck competed in the Brazilian Under-18 Championship in the middle of this year and scored twelve goals. Her performances attracted attention, and the reward came with a call-up to the national team. Aware of the responsibility, the girl couldn't hide her joy and stated that she was going through a special phase with the Manto.
"I was very emotional when I received the news. This call-up is definitely the result of a lot of hard work. I've played for a few teams in my short career, but this is my finest moment. Flamengo is incredibly important, and being the first player from the club to be called up is a source of great joy." "Expectations are high. Being called up is difficult, but staying is even harder. I want to make history with the national team," he said.
The number 10 received the opportunity to play for the professional team and shone once again. In the match against Colonia/Guapimirim, he started in attack, provided a beautiful assist for Lu Meireles, and scored his own in the second half. The goal was the icing on the cake for anyone aspiring to go far in football.
"My main goal is to remain a starter for Flamengo, fight to be in the starting eleven for the national team, and soon become a professional. I've already played for the senior team and scored a goal. I'm grateful every day for being here. The day I scored, I cried with emotion. Wearing this jersey has always been a dream, and I intend to keep achieving it for a long time," he declared.
The athlete's next challenge, along with the team, is the second leg of the Carioca semifinal against Vasco da Gama at CEFAN. For the "Girl from Gávea," the focus is on winning the competition.
"We're doing well in the Carioca Championship. Since this is the first edition of the category, I see our performance so far as positive. We lost the first leg of the semifinal to Vasco, but we have the second leg at home, and we'll try to turn it around and reach the final," he concluded with motivation.
At just fifteen years old, Peck competed in the Brazilian Under-18 Championship in the middle of this year and scored twelve goals. Her performances attracted attention, and the reward came with a call-up to the national team. Aware of the responsibility, the girl couldn't hide her joy and stated that she was going through a special phase with the Manto.
"I was very emotional when I received the news. This call-up is definitely the result of a lot of hard work. I've played for a few teams in my short career, but this is my finest moment. Flamengo is incredibly important, and being the first player from the club to be called up is a source of great joy." "Expectations are high. Being called up is difficult, but staying is even harder. I want to make history with the national team," he said.
The number 10 received the opportunity to play for the professional team and shone once again. In the match against Colonia/Guapimirim, he started in attack, provided a beautiful assist for Lu Meireles, and scored his own in the second half. The goal was the icing on the cake for anyone aspiring to go far in football.
"My main goal is to remain a starter for Flamengo, fight to be in the starting eleven for the national team, and soon become a professional. I've already played for the senior team and scored a goal. I'm grateful every day for being here. The day I scored, I cried with emotion. Wearing this jersey has always been a dream, and I intend to keep achieving it for a long time," he declared.
The athlete's next challenge, along with the team, is the second leg of the Carioca semifinal against Vasco da Gama at CEFAN. For the "Girl from Gávea," the focus is on winning the competition.
"We're doing well in the Carioca Championship. Since this is the first edition of the category, I see our performance so far as positive. We lost the first leg of the semifinal to Vasco, but we have the second leg at home, and we'll try to turn it around and reach the final," he concluded with motivation.