Love dismisses the "curse" of the number 9 shirt
Player says he made a point of wearing the center forward's classic shirt
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Vagner Love had no doubts. When the football department asked him what number he wanted to wear, he insisted on choosing the number 9. "They asked me what jersey I wanted to wear, and I said number 9," said the striker, who makes his debut this Saturday at 17 p.m. for Flamengo.
The striker, who wore number 9 at Palmeiras and number 11 at CSKA, dismissed any possibility of superstition - it's been a while since the number 9 jersey consecrated a player with the Sacred Mantle. "It's time to break this spell. It's with this number 9 jersey that I want to bring a lot of joy to the fans," Vagner Love added during a press conference after Friday's training session at Gávea, the final training session before the match against Bangu in the third round of the Taça Guanabara.
With the lack of goals from players like Souza, Obina, and even Denis Marques, the press began to speculate about a supposed curse of the number 9 jersey at Gávea. Emperor Adriano wore this number in three matches of the last Brazilian Championship, responding to requests from fans who participated in the "Camisa do Adriano" (Adriano's Shirt) Cultural Contest (http://mkt.flamengo.com.br/camisadoadriano/). Wearing the number 9, Adriano failed to score against Vitória and scored two penalty goals in matches against São Paulo and Palmeiras. He later asserted his preference for the number 10, fulfilling a childhood dream, when Zico was his idol.
Story - Number 9 was worn by some of the club's greatest strikers, including center forward Nunes, who scored decisive goals in the finals of the 1981 Club World Cup and the 1980 and 1982 Brazilian Championships.
Other famous nines were Bebeto, who scored the goal that won the team their fourth title in 1987, and Gaúcho - Flamengo's top scorer in their fifth title campaign in 1992.
The striker, who wore number 9 at Palmeiras and number 11 at CSKA, dismissed any possibility of superstition - it's been a while since the number 9 jersey consecrated a player with the Sacred Mantle. "It's time to break this spell. It's with this number 9 jersey that I want to bring a lot of joy to the fans," Vagner Love added during a press conference after Friday's training session at Gávea, the final training session before the match against Bangu in the third round of the Taça Guanabara.
With the lack of goals from players like Souza, Obina, and even Denis Marques, the press began to speculate about a supposed curse of the number 9 jersey at Gávea. Emperor Adriano wore this number in three matches of the last Brazilian Championship, responding to requests from fans who participated in the "Camisa do Adriano" (Adriano's Shirt) Cultural Contest (http://mkt.flamengo.com.br/camisadoadriano/). Wearing the number 9, Adriano failed to score against Vitória and scored two penalty goals in matches against São Paulo and Palmeiras. He later asserted his preference for the number 10, fulfilling a childhood dream, when Zico was his idol.
Story - Number 9 was worn by some of the club's greatest strikers, including center forward Nunes, who scored decisive goals in the finals of the 1981 Club World Cup and the 1980 and 1982 Brazilian Championships.
Other famous nines were Bebeto, who scored the goal that won the team their fourth title in 1987, and Gaúcho - Flamengo's top scorer in their fifth title campaign in 1992.