It may seem like an exaggeration, but it's not. The Military Police of Juazeiro do Norte (CE) confirmed that more than a thousand Flamengo fans were at the city's airport to welcome Ronaldo Angelim in the early hours of this Friday. Not even the rain and the flight delay dampened the fans' enthusiasm for welcoming their illustrious son.
 
To chants of "the champion is back" and "he's the best defender in Brazil," the scorer of the goal that secured Flamengo's 2009 Brazilian Championship title set foot on Ceará soil. After a delay of more than 12 hours—he was supposed to arrive at noon on Thursday—Angelim gave his parents, Mr. Antônio and Mrs. Francisca, and his 12-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Antônia, a big hug before giving an impromptu press conference in the airport departure lounge.
 
"I'm incredibly happy. He worked hard to achieve everything you see," said the grandmother.

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After several questions, Angelim struggled through the crowd to the electric trio. From there, he continued in a motorcade to his home, causing a massive traffic jam of cars and motorcycles throughout the city. From the top of the truck, the defender, whose contract ends this month, thanked everyone for their support and made his plans for 2010 clear to his fans.
 
"Thank you so much for welcoming me this way until this late hour. I slept in and ended up missing my flight. I hope to stay at Flamengo and maybe win the Libertadores. But right now I just want to celebrate this Brazilian Championship title," Angelim said into the microphone.
 
Check out the main excerpts from the press conference below:

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Are you going to renew your contract with Flamengo? And what about the offers you received?

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"I'm not thinking about that. I'll leave it to Flamengo to decide. I don't want to talk about other offers. My wish is to stay. I've already adapted to Rio de Janeiro, to the club, and everyone knows how much I care about it. But right now I just want to celebrate as much as I can. I want to enjoy this moment."
 
Did you expect such a big party?

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"There are a lot of Flamengo fans here. Flamengo's fan base is huge. But I didn't know it would have this impact. I'm very happy and want to enjoy it with the people. Every time I've come here for vacation, it's been peaceful. Now it's this madness. I don't know if it's because of the 17-year drought, or because of my goal... It hasn't quite sunk in yet. I just know it's the most wonderful moment of my career."
 
What did you think of Fortaleza's relegation to Série C?

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"I was very sad about this situation. It's a club with a good structure and a great fan base, and I was truly upset. I'm rooting for the management to do a good job and for the club to get back to where it belongs."
 
And what about Icasa, which was promoted to Serie B?
 
"I'm very happy. It's the team that introduced me to football. I'm going to root for Icasa to get promoted to Serie A now. It would be really cool to face them for Flamengo."

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Next Monday, Flamengo is expected to be hosted by President Lula in Brasília. Do you see any similarities between your career and that of the Brazilian president?

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– The difference is the money he has (laughs)... But I do see similarities, yes. We came from the Northeast and worked hard. But he became president and I was just a Flamengo player.