At the end of the training session held on Thursday morning (14), the newest reinforcement of the Mais Querido attack, Leandro Damião, spoke to journalists in the press room at CT George Helal. Among the topics discussed, the athlete's happiness in wearing the Sacred Mantle stood out, fulfilling an old dream of his father, a big fan of the former right-back and idol of the red-black Leandro, who inspired the name of the center forward.

See the main excerpts:

I'd like to thank everyone for the effort they made to help me wear this jersey. I worked hard during this period to be well prepared. I always strive to give my best. I'm a team player, focused on helping the squad and the club itself. I hope to return to my best form with Flamengo.

The coach will have a real headache. We have a highly qualified squad, with good players in various positions. This helps the coach maintain the team's characteristics. I'm a box-to-box player, but I also provide a lot of assists. I'll fight hard to help Flamengo achieve its goals. I'll work hard to take advantage of opportunities whenever I get them, always respecting my teammates.

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I'm at the peak of my physical fitness. I trained twice, at Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo. I've had problems with injuries before, but I think it's very unlikely they'll recur at this point in my career. I've completed all the tests and received praise from the club's professionals. I came prepared to help, and I'm confident in that.

I wasn't even born yet, but it was already decided that my name would be Leandro. My father is a huge soccer fanatic, and Leandro, the former Flamengo right-back, is an idol. He was thrilled that I was wearing his favorite team's jersey. It seems like, even back then, he had already thought of everything.

The club's board approached me, presented the project, and we discussed it extensively. We have a high-quality squad and a highly capable coach. These factors really caught my interest. With that in mind, I expressed my desire to come here to my agent, and we finalized the deal.