Flamengo's first attacking reinforcement was Val Baiano, second-highest scorer in the last Brazilian Championship with Barueri. With Adriano's departure, the player arrived at Gávea surrounded by expectations not only from fans but also from his teammates. Midfielder Kleberson, for example, heaped praise on the player, who scored two goals for Flamengo when they faced the Rubro-Negro last year. Confident in the striker's talent, he also emphasized the importance of getting the ball to the center forward.

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"Val Baiano positions himself well in the box. In last year's Brazilian Championship, we faced him and it was difficult to mark him. We lost Love and Adriano and now we have him. I'm sure he'll do well at Flamengo. We have to create chances for him to score," he said.

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Full-back Leonardo Moura prefers not to make comparisons to the predecessors of Flamengo's new number 7, but he also praised the striker's goal-scoring instinct.

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"They are two different players from Love and Adriano. We're not going to compare, but Diego is a promising player, he's trying to make his mark, and we've played against Val before, he scores goals and that's what we need," he concluded.

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As he signed internationally, Val Baiano isn't expected to play until August. Until then, he'll continue to improve his fitness and train with the group.

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