Leo Moura visits children at the Pro-Child Cardiac Institute
The full-back brought joy to the young red-blacks on Monday morning in Botafogo
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - inNearing his second birthday, young Renan doesn't yet have many words in his vocabulary, but one is already part of this little Flamengo fan's daily life: goal. His passion for football and Flamengo runs deep, which explains the boy's wide-eyed smiles upon Leonardo Moura's arrival at the Instituto Pró-Criança Cardíaca in Botafogo.
The right-back visited the children on Tuesday morning (July 27.07) and delighted the kids. Among them was Ian, who turned nine on Monday (July 26.07) and received an autograph and a hug from his idol. Also beaming from the meeting was ten-year-old Stephany, a soccer fan who asked for Leo to be called up to the Brazilian national team.
"He, Adriano, Neymar and Ganso should be on the team. He plays really well. He's my idol," said the girl, who was given the polo shirt the player wore during the visit.
Leo took numerous photos, signed several autographs, and toured the facilities of the center, which serves about 40 children per week. The player also distributed Flamengo gifts to the children and kicked a ball around with the young Flamengo fans. Satisfied with the affection shown by the boys and girls of Pró-Criança Cardíaca, the fullback couldn't hide his joy at participating in such an initiative.
"This is priceless. It's wonderful to feel this affection and see these children's smiles. It's all very worthwhile. Being able to bring joy to these people is a wonderful feeling. I've always loved children and I'm very happy to know that they love me," he said.
The project's communications advisor, Melissa Colacino, praised Leonardo Moura's kindness and emphasized the importance of an activity like this for the institute and the children.
"The children are fascinated by these visits, especially since they're soccer players. They love it, and it's very important for us to be able to bring them this extra joy. We provide all types of treatment here for underprivileged children with possible heart problems. We also have psychologists and an orthodontist's office," he added.