Flaunting his traditional class, combined with the grit that makes him one of the greatest defenders in the history of the Mais Querido, Juan had another outstanding performance wearing the Sacred Mantle in the 4-0 rout of Chapecoense. At 38 years old, the number 4 scored the third goal of the match, his 31st for Flamengo, securing qualification for the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. 

Júnior Baiano currently leads this list with 33 goals. For Juan, equaling and eventually surpassing this number would be important not only to further cement his name in the history of his beloved club, but also because of the idolatry he harbors for the current holder of the trophy.

"I take it naturally. I'll be happy if I can break that record and put my name in the club's history, especially beating a player of Júnior Baiano's caliber. I know what he meant to the club and to me at the beginning of my career, but things have to be natural," commented the defender.

With a collective performance that translated into complete dominance throughout the match, Flamengo faced few threats throughout the 90 minutes, similar to what happened in the duel against Sport in the Brazilian Championship. Juan praised the performance, recalling that match and emphasizing the focus on the next challenge. 

"The team played a great game, continuing what we did against Sport. It's important to qualify without taking any risks. We had to show maturity, as it was a high-stakes game. I'm happy we played this great game. Now it's time to rest because there's more on Saturday," he praised, praising the group even more when talking about their performance. "The important thing is always the collective aspect. When the team starts playing well, the individual aspects show. One moment it's me, the next it's Cuéllar, and certainly other players, as there are many high-level players in this squad," he added.

This Saturday (23), at 19 pm, Mais Querido's opponent will be the Avaí team, redirecting the focus to the Brazilian Championship. According to the star, the result of this Wednesday (20) further increases the squad's confidence in the search for three more points in the national competition.

"It's a morale booster because they were a tough opponent. We kept clean sheets in both games, playing a good game at home. Now it's time to focus on the Brazilian Championship again, as we have another crucial game to get the three points, because we know that next week we have the game of our lives," he concluded.