Nobody gave him much thought when he was signed from Santo André in early 2009, but today, Willians is a key player in Flamengo's squad. A player with excellent movement, marking, and technical quality when passing the ball, the number eight has been sorely missed by the Rubro-Negro team at the start of the Campeonato Carioca. An ankle injury in his debut kept him out of practically the entire qualifying round of the Taça Guanabara. But in the semifinals, he returned.

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Much to the delight of the fans, the coaching staff, and his teammates, especially the defenders. After all, the Flamengo defense conceded 12 goals in seven games—a high average. But with Willians' return, that number is expected to drop. After all, with him on the field for just 45 minutes in the derby against Fluminense, Flamengo scored four goals and conceded none.

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"Williams is a key player, he steals around 30 balls per game, he protects the defense very well, he goes back and forth with the same strength... That's his importance," analyzed defender Álvaro.

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Andrade's assistant coach, Marcello Salles, goes even further. According to him, Willians is a player any coach in the country would love to have. Tactically and technically, he is a key player in the red-and-black game plan.

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"Williams is a player of the highest quality, and he has the trust of the entire coaching staff. The entire group knows his importance and respects him greatly. He's a very important player because he's dynamic, has a lot of movement, a lot of desire, and a lot of speed. And, the way Andrade selects the team, he's a key player because he's versatile and moves a lot. Any coach would love to have a Willians on their team," he explained.

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With Willians on the field in the Brazilian Championship, Flamengo played 30 matches, winning 15, drawing eight, and losing seven. They scored 46 goals and conceded 33. Without him, Flamengo played eight matches, winning four, drawing two, and losing two, scoring 12 goals and conceding 11. The player has already played 57 matches for Flamengo, scoring three goals, providing four assists, and receiving 27 cards (24 yellow and three red).