On July 5, 1996, Juan, then 17, made his first appearance for his beloved team. With promising performances since the youth ranks, the defender received his first professional opportunity during a friendly match against Desportiva Ferroviária. The match ended in a 1-0 victory for the "Mais Querido."

His first start came the following month, in a second-round match of the Brazilian Championship against Atlético Mineiro. "At the time, I was already happy just to be integrated into the professional squad, as I was still very young. Due to some injury problems in the squad, I ended up getting my opportunity in that match, and games like that are always important. It was a very special day, and I was happy to have made my debut in a victory (2-1)," recalled the defender.

Besides being the month of his debut for the first team in 1996, July marked another important milestone in the player's career. A few years later, in 2001, on the 7th and 11th, the two final matches of the Champions' Cup were played against São Paulo. The "Mais Querido" (Most Beloved) won the tournament, securing a spot in the following year's Copa Libertadores.

In the thrilling first leg of the final, Flamengo defeated the São Paulo team 5-3 with a brilliant attacking performance. In the following match, São Paulo won 3-2, but on aggregate, the title went to Mengão.

Juan scored one of the goals in the second leg and recalled the excellent performances by both teams in the decisive matches. "They were two high-scoring matches, as both teams played very offensively. São Paulo also had a very strong team at the time. Flamengo was coming off its third Rio de Janeiro championship, and we played very well together; we had a very cohesive team. We put in very good performances, not just in those two games, but throughout the campaign," he added.

Back at the club, the red-and-black captain writes another page in his career in red and black this season.