Good humor is one of Flamengo's weapons
Relaxed, the red-and-black group sees the rachões as a way to relieve tension on the eve of matches
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Popular wisdom says that a simple smile can change everything. And at Flamengo, it's no different. Good-natured and far from giving rise to speculation of squad splits, the players point to unity and joy as fundamental factors in the group's positive results. Furthermore, this will also be the key to winning the Taça Rio title and qualifying for the next stage of the Copa Santander Libertadores.
Saturday, Ninho do Urubu, the eve of the decisive match... Everything indicates that the atmosphere will be grim, serious, and tense. Not at all! At Flamengo, there's no shortage of jokes during recreational training sessions.
"All the teams play this kickabout on the eve of games, and here, it's really competitive. There's a good rivalry, because of the great friendship that exists between everyone in the group. And that's great, as it takes some of the tension out of it. On Sunday, for example, everyone's talking about Botafogo, Botafogo, Botafogo. Sometimes, that can be bad, and letting off steam is good," explains Everton Silva, one of the most enthusiastic members of the group.
The main symbol of this red-and-black joy is defender David. Always smiling and joking with his teammates, he will start in the final and reveals that the rachões (games for kicks) are extremely positive for the group.
"The guys pick on me and say I miss a lot of goals. But whenever my team wins, I also take the opportunity to joke with them. It's good to have this rivalry, this calmness to relax before games. This unity is great in a group, everyone laughs, everyone has fun and that's really cool," he says.
Healthy rivalry - One of those most subjected to David's jokes is Vinícius Pacheco. Rivals during recreational play, they always end up teasing each other. One of the most common phrases heard on Saturdays in Gávea is "Look at Vinícius Pacheco," when David mocks his teammate after winning a match in a pickup game.
"His team, Adriano's, Love's, and Leo Moura's always jokes with ours, which has me, Juan, and Bruno. The rivalry is healthy because it ends up strengthening the group even more. This good humor is essential, especially on the eve of a game, when we can't just be tense," adds the number 22.
Saturday, Ninho do Urubu, the eve of the decisive match... Everything indicates that the atmosphere will be grim, serious, and tense. Not at all! At Flamengo, there's no shortage of jokes during recreational training sessions.
"All the teams play this kickabout on the eve of games, and here, it's really competitive. There's a good rivalry, because of the great friendship that exists between everyone in the group. And that's great, as it takes some of the tension out of it. On Sunday, for example, everyone's talking about Botafogo, Botafogo, Botafogo. Sometimes, that can be bad, and letting off steam is good," explains Everton Silva, one of the most enthusiastic members of the group.
The main symbol of this red-and-black joy is defender David. Always smiling and joking with his teammates, he will start in the final and reveals that the rachões (games for kicks) are extremely positive for the group.
"The guys pick on me and say I miss a lot of goals. But whenever my team wins, I also take the opportunity to joke with them. It's good to have this rivalry, this calmness to relax before games. This unity is great in a group, everyone laughs, everyone has fun and that's really cool," he says.
Healthy rivalry - One of those most subjected to David's jokes is Vinícius Pacheco. Rivals during recreational play, they always end up teasing each other. One of the most common phrases heard on Saturdays in Gávea is "Look at Vinícius Pacheco," when David mocks his teammate after winning a match in a pickup game.
"His team, Adriano's, Love's, and Leo Moura's always jokes with ours, which has me, Juan, and Bruno. The rivalry is healthy because it ends up strengthening the group even more. This good humor is essential, especially on the eve of a game, when we can't just be tense," adds the number 22.