The news that the Nation was waiting for happened this Friday (16): shortly before the start of the match that decided the title of the Copa do Brasil Sub-20, the renewal of the loan of the red-black captain Réver until the end of 2019 was officially announced.

The defender arrived at Flamengo in 2016 and, in his debut wearing the sacred jersey, scored the winning goal against Cruzeiro at Mineirão. His leadership role in the squad grew rapidly, stemming from the trust he earned from both the players and the coaching staff.

Despite having arrived at the club relatively recently, his ties with the team and the fans have been growing stronger, partly due to historical factors. In addition to being the Flamengo captain in the match that marked the team's first appearance at their new home, Ilha do Urubu, Réver scored the opening goal in the 2-0 victory over Ponte Preta in the stadium's inauguration.

Réver spoke about his joy at having secured his stay at the club in Gávea. "I'm very happy with the renewal. This gives me a certain peace of mind so I can do my job in the best way possible. My biggest wish was to stay here at Flamengo," said the defender. "I hope to repay them with titles and, this year, we can already achieve some of those we set as our goal. I thank everyone for all the affection, all the messages of support I received, the requests for renewal, the president and Rodrigo (Caetano)," he added.

With his new contract, Réver is already looking ahead to his next challenge in the Brazilian Championship. Known for his high-quality performances, especially in the most important matches for the clubs he has played for, the defender is now focused on the Fla-Flu derby.

"It's a completely different game from the ones we've faced so far. We've played Fluminense a few times, and we've been fortunate enough to win most of those matches, but we know how difficult it will be. They didn't get a good result in the last round, so we'll need to go in with the same dedication as in the last game, because that's the only way we'll achieve our goal, which is victory," Réver hopes, calling on the fans. "May the fans encourage us in this match and may they leave the Maracanã with a smile on their faces," he concluded.

At 16pm this Sunday (18), at Maracanã, a new page in the captain's history will be written in the classic.

*under the supervision of Isabela Abirached