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Lucas Paquetá, the dynamic midfielder currently plying his trade with
West Ham, has revealed that a return to his boyhood club,
Flamengo, was closer than many fans might have imagined. In a candid
interview with
ge,Paquetá disclosed that he engaged in negotiations with the Rio de Janeiro
giants on two separate occasions,with the most recent talks involving current
Flamengo coach and former teammate Filipe Luís.
The first notable contact occurred in mid-May 2024, a period marked by
controversy for Paquetá. He was facing allegations from the English Football
Association (FA) concerning misconduct related to betting on four Premier League
matches. During this tumultuous time, Paquetá welcomed Marcos Braz, then
Flamengo’s vice-president of football, to his home to discuss a potential move.
“The first moment was when (Marcos) Braz was at Flamengo, there was this
contact,” Paquetá explained. “I know flamengo’s desire, and they know my desire,
my passion for the club, so it’s something that always happens. As soon as I
was accused, which was about to start the entire trial process, Braz came to
my house, made the proposal, asked what I thought.”
He continued, detailing the internal conflict he experienced: “Obviously, I
always want to return to Flamengo, but at that moment I was still a little
confused about my decision, about what I was going to do, and then I spoke to
the director of West Ham too and said: Braz, I want to return, I know I’ll
feel good at Flamengo, but I can’t be ungrateful to the club that is
supporting me a lot. They supported me a lot at all times, they helped me in
different situations, so I couldn’t force myself to leave a place were I was
being welcomed and respected. They respected me, my wife, my family. so I
said: I want you to resolve this. But yes, there was this exchange with
Flamengo.”
The second wave of negotiations with Flamengo took place after july of this
year, following Paquetá’s acquittal in the betting investigation. This time,
the midfielder actively sought out his friend and former teammate, Filipe
Luís, who is now managing Flamengo.
“The second moment, oddly enough, was when I already knew I could continue
playing normally,” Paquetá stated. “That was when I felt even more eager to
return to Flamengo. Maybe I couldn’t even say this, but I had some
conversations with Filipe (Luís), who is a friend, in addition to the work he
is doing at Flamengo. I really demonstrated my desire to return and I also
demonstrated it to my managers.”
The decision to remain with West Ham was not an easy one. Paquetá, at 28,
believes he still has significant years ahead of him in European football and
wants to continue performing at a high level.
“It was a tough decision, because I’m 28 years old, it’s very early and I
still have a lot of market out here, I’ve been doing my job well, but it was
a very big desire,” he admitted. “And I tried a lot, but sadly once
again I got into the idea of respecting my club, of not forcing anything,
because it’s a club that supported me, that I have enormous affection for.So
I let it happen and it didn’t really happen. I understood that it was not the
time, but the doors I know will always be open for me. I know that at some
point this return will happen.”
Lucas Paquetá’s journey began at Flamengo before he made the leap to europe in
January 2019, joining Italian giants
Milan. His career trajectory then saw him move to French club
Lyon before his current spell at West Ham, where he is contracted
until 2027.
Worth a look
