"A true defender," Welinton hopes to remain in the starting lineup.
Praised by Luxemburgo, the young defender says he's ready for the responsibility of starting the game.
By From the official website team - in
The expression "zagueiro-zagueiro" (literally "real defender") was coined by the current Flamengo coach, Vanderlei Luxemburgo, to justify the call-up of Odvan, then playing for Vasco, to the Brazilian National Team. It simply means a defender who plays seriously, doesn't mess around in defense, and who, as the saying goes, "kicks the ball wherever his nose is pointing," or "puts the ball into the bushes when it's a championship game."
The young Welinton, 23, perfectly fits the description and is already reaping the rewards at Flamengo. Despite always showing great skill in training, both in dribbling and finishing, he earned Vanderlei's trust and started in both matches under the coach's command in this year's Brazilian Championship. Happy with his current form, he, who has a contract until 2012, hopes to continue developing in the red and black jersey.
"I really have the characteristic of being a 'true defender,' playing without messing around and keeping it simple back there, but nowadays, I believe that keeping it simple is doing it beautifully. Vanderlei approves of this and came here warning that there can be no messing around back there. I'm an employee of the club, my transfer rights belong 100% to Flamengo until 2012, and that gives me peace of mind to work. I hope to grow and help the club achieve good things during this period," said the defender, who also explained his good relationship with the coach.
"He talks to everyone. Maybe because I'm younger, he tries to pay a little more attention, teach me, and I always try to do what he asks: to be aggressive and fast. Especially in one-on-one situations with the attackers," he said.
The player further explained that, despite the competition for a spot in the defense, the atmosphere among the players in that position is excellent. According to him, Ronaldo Angelim, Jean, and David are great teammates, with whom he talks and also learns a lot.
"We have great defenders. The others are even more experienced than me, we're always together and we have no problem being left out so the other can play. Whoever comes in will defend Flamengo well. I can't say I'm a starter, because the coach decides. I'm working towards that," he concluded.
The young Welinton, 23, perfectly fits the description and is already reaping the rewards at Flamengo. Despite always showing great skill in training, both in dribbling and finishing, he earned Vanderlei's trust and started in both matches under the coach's command in this year's Brazilian Championship. Happy with his current form, he, who has a contract until 2012, hopes to continue developing in the red and black jersey.
"I really have the characteristic of being a 'true defender,' playing without messing around and keeping it simple back there, but nowadays, I believe that keeping it simple is doing it beautifully. Vanderlei approves of this and came here warning that there can be no messing around back there. I'm an employee of the club, my transfer rights belong 100% to Flamengo until 2012, and that gives me peace of mind to work. I hope to grow and help the club achieve good things during this period," said the defender, who also explained his good relationship with the coach.
"He talks to everyone. Maybe because I'm younger, he tries to pay a little more attention, teach me, and I always try to do what he asks: to be aggressive and fast. Especially in one-on-one situations with the attackers," he said.
The player further explained that, despite the competition for a spot in the defense, the atmosphere among the players in that position is excellent. According to him, Ronaldo Angelim, Jean, and David are great teammates, with whom he talks and also learns a lot.
"We have great defenders. The others are even more experienced than me, we're always together and we have no problem being left out so the other can play. Whoever comes in will defend Flamengo well. I can't say I'm a starter, because the coach decides. I'm working towards that," he concluded.
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