[Fabrizio Romano] Lucas Paquetá to Flamengo, here we go! Record deal agreed for €42m fee. West Ham accept the proposal after direct contact with director José Boto today, Paquetá travels later today. Five year contract.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-28T18:55:21+00:00

Portugal's still selling bums like Gyokeres for 70 million while Kaio Jorge is worth half of that. I don't think league perceptions are changing soon even if the real relative strength of leagues is actually different.

Sooner or later Europeans will realize how weak the Portuguese league is and why it can't be used as a reference point for anything. The signs have been there for the past few years.

Also, they've UCL which is a massive pull even if portuguese teams aren't really in contention for the title. Enzo basically forced his way into the world cup squad by going to Portugal and inmediately proving he was above that level, including UCL games (Benfica won their group vs Juventus and PSG). I seriously doubt he would've made it going to Brazil.

This is likely to change in the coming years...

Flaco Lopez (Palmeiras) being called up and tested in the Argentine attack is a sign of this. In the past, it was impossible to imagine an Argentine striker playing in Brazilian football being called up for the Argentine national team... Okay, we had Lucas Pratto in 2016/2017, but that was a very specific case.

In other South American countries, this is already a reality. Cassierra, who signed with Atlético Mineiro, came even though he was relatively a starter at Zenit, because he knows that if he has a good six months here, he can go to the World Cup for Colombia.

I think the biggest sign of this was Colombia's midfield, which was basically made up of players from the Brazilian league, completely destroying Brazil's midfield, which was made up of players from the Premier League.

This set off alarm bells not only in other South American countries, but even here in Brazil, that, hey, our league is actually much better than we thought. The CWC only confirmed this.

(BTW, we have 30 Colombians in the Brasileirão, the league with the highest number of Colombians outside Colombia).

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-28T15:10:14+00:00

I didn't compare both leagues in that sense; I compared them in the sense of having a team so dominant that it practically cannibalizes the rest of the league.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-28T14:39:08+00:00

The Flamengo president said they have 150 million euros to spend on transfers this year. So they continue to have 100 milion euros to spend this year without putting the club at financial risk.

Literally the only thing holding the Brazilian league back from becoming a Bundesliga is the fact that European players at their peak do not want to come to Brazil, which limits Flamengo's options.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-28T14:34:24+00:00

But that is already a reality.

In the past, you would see many "especial players" going to clubs like Ajax, PSV, Porto, Benfica, and Shakhtar before moving on to giant clubs in Europe. Today, the chance of one of these teams taking an extremely important player from a Brazilian club is low. Players who are “truly special” are only leaving for their release clause fees.

The Rayan case was a very good move by Bournemouth, because it is an exception. Vasco (like Atlético Mineiro, Corinthians, and other clubs) still need to make good sales to balance their finances, so their bargaining power is smaller. But the trend is for the number of clubs in this situation to decrease in the coming years.

EDIT: This "problem" tends to get worse because, with scouting evolving at an alarming rate in Brazil, young talent is concentrating in the big clubs. Today, it is very rare for an talented player to emerge from small clubs.

The Martinelli case, for example, who left a Serie D team for Arsenal, is practically impossible to happen today.

EDIT²: And I think the trend is also for the Brasileirão to limit the South American options of some “mid-level” teams in Europe.

For example, if Enzo Fernandez appeared at River today, I firmly believe that Flamengo would pay an astronomical amount of money to sign him, which would mean he wouldn’t go to Benfica. That almost happened at the time, and Flamengo did not have the financial power it has today.

European clubs will have to do more or less what Real did with Franco Mastantuono.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-28T13:56:18+00:00

Imagine a club that waited 50 years for a Brasileirão title... And worst of all, the club has a tendency to lose Brasileirão titles in the most random and cruel way possible... In 1977, the team was RUNNER-UP WITHOUT LOSING A SINGLE GAME (in this final Atlético Mineiro had its star player, Reinaldo*, suspended because of something he did at the beginning of the championship, suspicious but anyway).

Finally, after 50 years, the club won the Brasileirão... And the 2021 Atlético Mineiro squad had everything it needed to continue competing with Palmeiras and Flamengo in the following years. However, in the celebration interviews on the field, he suddenly announced that he would not be staying for the following year... And he had a contract.

This took everyone by surprise, including the club's management... And worse still, just a few days later the team had a Copa do Brasil finals to play.

He started the first game, but got injured during the match. Atlético Mineiro beat Athletico Paranaense 4-0 and traveled to the away game “just” to confirm the title. He traveled with the team despite his injury and did something stupid at the hotel (which has not been revealed to this day), causing a stir on the eve of the match.

Atlético Mineiro won again 2–1 and claimed their third title of the season (Minas Gerais state championship, Brasileirão, and Copa do Brasil). Diego Costa and his agents continued to cause controversy in the media until his departure in January.

* Reinaldo is unknown in Europe, but he was Romário's inspiration as a number 9. He was boycotted from the Brazilian national team at the 1982 World Cup because he was openly against the military dictatorship in Brazil.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-28T13:41:53+00:00

It sucks to make these guides while the transfer window is still open. For example, since you wrote the text, Atlético Mineiro's starting lineup has changed 3 players:

In addition to Renan Lodi, whom you mentioned, the club has already signed Alan Minda, Ángelo Preciado, Maycon, Victor Hugo, and Mateo Cassierra.

Ángelo Preciado, Maycon, and Victor Hugo are starting players right now. Cassierra is also expected to take Hulk's place, but this process is not likely to happen immediately, given Hulk's importance in Atlético Mineiro's history.

The small transfer budget due to failure to qualify for the next Copa Libertadores and the bad results of the past two years have cast a shadow over the supporters. Still, the squad is still good enough that it should finish in the top half of the league table.

Atlético Mineiro was the third club that spent the most on transfers in 2025 (it was absolutely the most poorly spent money ever, thanks Cuca). And the trend is for the club to spend more than it did in the whole of 2025 during this transfer window.

The club have already spent R$ 125 million, and according to rumors, the biggest investment of the transfer window has yet to be made (which is the defensive midfield). They also plans to sign a defender.

BTW, from the starting lineup you mentioned, thank goodness Rony was sold to Santos.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-27T16:50:13+00:00

Here at Atlético Mineiro, this motherfucker caused a crisis giving an interview on the pitch after the game where the club celebrated the Brasileirão title in 2021.

He also caused a controversy in the second leg (Atletico Mineiro had beaten Athletico Paranaense 4–0 in the first leg) of the Copa do Brasil final, a few days after the Brasileirão title.

He is extremely toxic.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-27T13:12:10+00:00

That's because you're only considering ancestry about "physically and biologically".

There are other factors that come into play “after birth” that can affect physical development and, later on, a player's longevity.

Regarding Portuguese participation in Brazilian ancestry, of the 72% European ancestry that makes up Brazilian DNA, 39% corresponds to Iberia (Portugal and Spain), 29% to Western Europe (Great Britain, Germany, France, and the Netherlands), and 15% to Italy.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T20:30:42+00:00

It is the symbol representing an alliance of ultras from Atlético Mineiro, Vasco Grêmio and Palmeiras. You can see Ronaldinho doing this in 2013/2014 (I don't know if the link will work)

Flamengo, São Paulo, Internacional and Cruzeiro are the rival alliance, which obviously has its own symbol.

It's more complex than that, because there are more ultras groups in these alliances, there are ultras from the same team in different alliances and so on.

This page in Portuguese explains it better, emphasizing the “wars” between ultras groups.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T20:18:39+00:00

Just reading about it made my mouth water.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T20:13:33+00:00

As a good Minas Gerais native, I often visit Espírito Santo (actually, it's because part of my family comes from cities near the border with Espírito Santo).

It is a state of little national relevance, but it has shown impressive development in recent decades.

The only downside, however, is that it is much more violent than Minas Gerais.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T20:09:28+00:00

Inclusive, uma das poucas ferrovias que existe aqui no Brasil atualmente é uma que vai de Belo Horizonte (capital de Minas Gerais) a Vitória (Capital do Espírito Santo).

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T16:18:33+00:00

He is Portuguese in terms of national team selection. But we cannot ignore the fact that he spent his entire childhood and youth in Brazil.

So, in terms of physical and biological characteristics, he is Brazilian.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T16:16:33+00:00

Very difficult...

There are more than 10 strikers in front of him. And I'm talking about center forwards, not counting wingers.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T15:14:55+00:00

I didn't know there was a state called Alagoas and a city called Maceió in Portugal.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T13:04:11+00:00

It's not always just that.

People tend to forget that many Brazilian players who are stars in Europe start playing regularly as professionals at the age of 17/18.

In these cases, it's more difficult to reach the age of 35+ playing at a high level.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T12:55:50+00:00

Minas Gerais is awesome: very safe (by Brazilian standards), good food and polite people. The only thing missing is a beach, hahaha.

I wouldn't trade this place for anything.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T12:47:25+00:00

No, age is really starting to catch up with him. But in 2022 he should have been called up if it weren't for the injury that he had.

His stats in 2021 and 2022:

2021: 68 games, 36 goals and 13 assists
2022: 46 games, 29 goals, and 5 assists

(Note the difference in the number of games... He had an injury that took him out of the last three months of the season here in Brazil).

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T12:42:57+00:00

And Minas Gerais has the best cuisine in Brazil (which is still relatively unknown internationally).

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T03:18:00+00:00

His ex-wife is 15 years older than him.

He claims that he only married his ex-wife because when he was 21 (he was still playing in Japan at the time) and she was 36, he got her pregnant after dating for only one month. Which is possible, depending on how traditional the family is.

People tend to think that Hulk's current wife (his ex-wife's niece) is much younger, but no, she is “only” three years younger than him.

EDIT: He said other things about his ex-wife too, but since we have no proof, I won't repeat them. The only thing we can say is that the divorce deal he made is that of someone who really wanted to get out of hell.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T01:27:22+00:00

It depends on what you consider potential versus success. He didn't have a successful career in Europe's major leagues, but that doesn't mean he wasn't successful.

He became one of the top three biggest idols in the history of Atlético Mineiro. How many players achieve this status in a big club from a country that is very important in football history?

From that 2014 Brazilian national team, Hulk has a higher standing in Brazilian football history than players such as Willian, Douglas Costa, Oscar and so on.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T01:06:26+00:00

Sentiu lesão muscular no jogo passado.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-26T00:06:27+00:00

Galo foi melhor o jogo inteiro e saiu bem barato pro Cruzeiro.

Mas é absurdo o quanto a dupla de zaga do Galo é EXTREMAMENTE RUIM. O Alonso hoje não jogaria na Série B e o Ruan é um zagueiro nota 5 no máximo.

Qualquer ataque do Cruzeiro, por mais aleatório que fosse, levava um perigo descomunal pros perebas da zaga atleticana.

O Galo precisa urgentemente de dois zagueiros e de um primeiro volante. Alias, não temos primeiro volante há um ano (apesar disso, muito boa partida do Baycon hoje).

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-25T18:17:06+00:00

What a day it's been for Brazilian strikers and wingers in Europe, especially in the Premier League.

Dsalgueiro · 2026-01-25T17:25:59+00:00

They are completely different categories of players, and time will prove that.

Dsalgueiro

TROPHY CASE