Léo Ortiz opens up to Zico about his journey to Flamengo: "It was a battle" | OneFootball

Defender has been at Flamengo since last year, when he scored two goals and provided two assists

Before joining Flamengo, defender Léo Ortiz was a standout at Red Bull Bragantino, the club where he earned his first call-up to the Brazilian National Team. That’s why taking him from the São Paulo team was a challenge for the Most Beloved. The defender highlighted, on Tuesday (26), the difficulty of the transfer and his gratitude to both sides.

— Man, it was, it was really quite a complicated transaction. It lasted, I think, about four months, from when I went on vacation until March, I think that’s about when it was finalized and then I came here, in a fight I had to achieve this dream of being able to get here — said Léo Ortiz, adding that:

— And I also knew the importance I had at my former club, you know, and the respect I had for everything they gave me, right? So, it was a struggle, in quotes, to be able to come, but I’m happy that both sides came to an agreement in the end. It was good for everyone — highlighted the number 3 during Resenha do Galinho, a show hosted by idol Zico.

Reunion with an opponent?

At Flamengo, Léo Ortiz reunited with Pedro, a striker whom the defender revealed to be the best he has ever faced. “He’s a very tall guy too, a guy with a strong presence in the box, but who also has a lot of technical finesse,” he pointed out.

When did Léo Ortiz arrive at Flamengo?

Bragantino’s intention was to sell Léo Ortiz to Europe, but the defender’s desire to play for Flamengo was greater. So, the Rubro-Negro paid R$ 37 million for the player, who arrived in 2024. That year, the newcomer scored two goals and provided two assists.

What’s Flamengo’s next goal?

In pursuit of more records, the Most Beloved faces Grêmio on Sunday (31), starting at 4pm (Brasília time), for the 22nd round of the 2025 Brasileirão. As usual, Coluna do Fla will provide full coverage of the match on the website, social media, and YouTube.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.