Fernando presents himself in search of affirmation
Steering wheel doesn't want to be known as "Carlos Alberto's brother" and arrives talking about titles
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - inThe son of a Botafogo-supporting father and a Flamengo-supporting mother, with a brother at Vasco, 23-year-old Fernando Gomes de Jesus was officially presented this Friday morning in the Marilene Dabus Journalist Press Room in Gávea, as Flamengo's first signing for the 2010 season. Wanting to escape the stigma of being Carlos Alberto's brother and seeking to prove that his last two successful years with Goiás were the result of his talent and hard work, the midfielder donned the Flamengo jersey, declaring he was fulfilling a childhood dream and spoke of winning many titles with the Rubro-Negro.
\Sought after by several other clubs after the end of the 2009 Brazilian Championship, Fernando was extremely happy and grateful for the opportunity to play for Clube de Regatas do Flamengo. The player arrived with a warm welcome from Vice President of Football Marcos Braz, who said he was extremely comfortable introducing the defensive midfielder, who, according to him, is the "most talented in the family," in a joke mocking Vasco midfielder Carlos Alberto, Fernando's older brother. The defensive midfielder, in fact, stated that he loves his brother very much, but revealed that he wants to shed that label and be known simply as Fernando.
\Check out the main excerpts from the player's press conference:
\Creation at Fluminense and reception at Flamengo: I came up through the ranks at Fluminense and am very grateful to the club, but I'm a professional, and today I arrive at Flamengo to wear this jersey with all my heart and soul and honor the club's traditions. I'm very happy; I've had a very warm welcome here at the club, both from Eduardo Manhães and Marcos Braz, and I intend to work hard to live up to expectations. I want to play, I want to win titles, and I believe Flamengo will be a great showcase for my career.
\Flamengo: It's a great opportunity for me to be here. I've always dreamed, like any player, of playing for Flamengo. Because of the club's greatness, the fans... The team is a Brazilian champion, a three-time Rio de Janeiro champion, and I believe being here will be a huge leap forward in my career. It's a way for me to gain more exposure and also showcase my work. I'm coming off two very good years at Goiás and I hope to continue that here at Flamengo. I know some of the players on the squad, like Bruno, Leo Moura, Pet... I believe I'll be well received there too, and I'll do everything I can to work hard and win titles here.
\Conversations with Carlos Alberto: He was a little upset (laughs). Now we're going to have this rivalry, with one player on each side, in the Flamengo-Vasco derby... It's going to be great. He even talked to me. Dorival Junior was interested in taking me to Vasco if he renewed his contract, but I quickly dismissed it because I don't want to be known as Carlos Alberto's brother. So, I talked to him and explained that I was happy to return to Rio, to play for Flamengo... And you can be sure that if there's a challenge, if I have to make a tough tackle, I will. After all, he's already got his life together, right? I have to chase my own (laughs). I've only played against him twice, and each of us got the better of him once.
\Family: At home, my mom is a Flamengo fan and my dad is a Botafogo fan. So, I'll have at least some support and some criticism. But I believe they support me as much as they do my brother. Of course, he's already accomplished a lot, and I'm just getting started, so I think I deserve a little more support, right (laughs)?
\Controversy with Flamengo fans: I never said I wanted to silence Flamengo fans. What was said was this: in the previous round, we had played against Galo, inside Mineirão, with over 60 fans, and we managed to win. So, their fans ended up staying silent. I said that if we repeated the football we played there against Flamengo, the same would happen at Maracanã.
\Passage through Goiás: Thank God I had a very good year at Goiás. Those two games, against Flamengo and São Paulo, were very important to me. We played a great game against Flamengo, but then we repeated that performance against São Paulo. Not to take the title away from A or B, but to prove our football, our worth, our dignity, and that ended up helping Flamengo. I believe I'm coming to the club in good shape and I promise to keep my spirit high when defending Flamengo.