Midfielder Maldonado returned to Flamengo after playing two friendlies with the Chilean national team and found a new coach: Vanderlei Luxemburgo. But the new Flamengo coach is no stranger to the midfielder. The defensive midfielder has already worked with Luxa at other clubs and believes that the fact that they know each other well can help in the next stage of their careers.

Maldonado was coached by Luxemburgo at Cruzeiro and Santos, where he won several titles, and now hopes to repeat that success wearing the red and black jersey. According to him, recreating the partnership with the coach will be fundamental.

"Reuniting with him here at Flamengo was special. I've known him for a long time and we're friends off the field. We know each other well, I worked with him at Cruzeiro and Santos. He arrived here with new ideas and everyone is really enjoying his work. He gives the group a lot of confidence and this renewed partnership has been great," he stated.

The Chilean also mentioned that the two had spoken little individually, as they know each other well, and analyzed the impact of the new coach's arrival on the group.

"It's always good to work with someone you know. He knows how to get the best out of me, and that puts me at ease. Today I went to his office mainly to find out about the schedule. We didn't talk about anything specific, since he talks a lot with the players on a daily basis. I don't think he needs to do that much with me, because we already know each other well," he concluded.

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