At 19 years old, Diego Maurício was promoted to the professional team in the middle of this year and should be a starter in the classic on Wednesday (14.07), at 21 pm, at Maracanã, against Botafogo. The center forward has already played five matches for the main team, but has not started in any of them. Seeing the first opportunity is getting closer and closer, Diego does not hide his anxiety.

Coach Rogério Lourenço already knows his football from the youth teams, and so Diego hopes not to disappoint him. The player, who says he has been fighting for a place in the main team, dreams of a victory to bring much joy to the red-black fans.

"We're always anxious. There's no way around it. I'm happy with this opportunity I'm having to show my work and I've been training really hard to live up to everyone's trust. I've been looking for my place in the starting lineup for a long time, and now that the chance to be a starter seems to be coming, I'll do my best to bring lots of joy to this wonderful Flamengo fan base," he said.

Happy with the time he's had to train over the past month, Diego explains that he'll be able to perform better in the second half of the year. After all, in the first half of the year, he wasn't able to train with the professional team, as he was coming off a marathon of matches with the youth team.

"For me, it was very important to have this time to work. I came in at a very high pace, playing both at the youth level and at the professional level, and I ended up not having time to do better physical work. I arrived at the first team already a little worn out. Now it's different. I trained well, I'm in my best physical shape, and I hope this pays off on the field," he concluded.

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