The emotion of farewell: Juan ends his career alongside the Nation
By Mariana Sa - inThe day before his farewell, Juan spoke of his happiness at seeing how proud his teammates were to share this moment with him. Saying goodbye isn't easy, but it certainly feels a little less painful when the people around you are doing everything they can to make your day as special as possible. And that's exactly what happened.
At 18:51 p.m., Flamengo's bus arrived at Maracanã, parked in its usual spot, and opened its doors. The players began to get off, one by one. Among the first, Juan appeared. Helpfully, he met the press like a professional player one last time. He walked through the familiar corridors, joked with those who had been part of his daily routine for so many years, and made his way to the locker room. The number 4 was not calm; it was evident in every inch of his body. He moved his hands, looked around. Those intimate details were now fundamental to his memory.
It would be the last walk.
The first tribute was at 20:19 p.m. Called onto the field, Juan remained focused, perhaps due to his now-famous shyness. From the access tunnel, he watched the video that showed key moments of his career. With tears in his eyes, but without shedding a drop, he ran his hands over his face as if trying at all costs to hide the emotions of that moment. Juan has never been one to express what he's feeling, but we know, if we pay attention, exactly what he's trying to say.
The warm-up came soon after. With all his teammates, he gave a quick speech about the debut, urged focus, and led the way to the field. He lived those minutes with the lightness of a child. He returned to the locker room and donned the Sacred Mantle. It was time to begin the final 90 minutes of a beautiful love story. At 20:52 p.m., Flamengo took the field to face Cruzeiro.
From the bench, Juan watched attentively as the goal that tied the match at Maracanã came from Bruno Henrique's feet. The captain stood up, celebrated with the group around him, and applauded his number 27. At 22:14 p.m., already in the final half, the squad was called for warm-ups, and the nation chanted their number 4's name at the top of its lungs, which revered them.
The turnaround came 10 minutes later, also from Bruno, who ran toward the north section, where the rest of the team was warming up. A collective hug, a group, one. The sea of red and black in the stands merged with the one on the pitch. We were one.
Already 40 minutes into the second half, the nation began to call for Juan to be on the field. Two minutes later, Gabigol scored Flamengo's third and the number 4 He ran off to celebrate the final moments of that day. He was then called by Abel Braga, applauded by the fans and the coaching staff. He replaced Everton Ribeiro to experience his final moment. Diego handed him the captain's armband, and he stepped onto the field once more.
With every touch of the ball, the nation applauded as their idol deserves. Yes, Juan. The nation will never forget. It wasn't enough time to say goodbye. Perhaps not even a month, a year, or a century would have been enough for us to get used to the idea of no longer having him brightening our defense.
After the final whistle, the captain was thrown into the air by his teammates and walked through the entire Maraca stadium. Section by section, fan by fan. Juan greeted each one, flashed his most sincere smile, and thanked them, albeit without words, for all the years of love and complicity. Embracing Julio Cesar, his eternal brother in the game and in life, the defender concluded his farewell, ascended the stairs, and left the sacred field that taught him so much.
Juan smiled like never before. He made a point of reaffirming his passion for Flamengo, the nation, and everyone who was part of this moment. "You will be missed, captain. As your son and the entire crowd in the stands said, you are the best defender in Brazil."
We love you, Juan. Thank you for everything.