Flamengo

Copa Libertadores champions Flamengo said they are in advanced talks to sign Inter Milan loanee Gabriel Barbosa.

The player known as Gabigol has been a huge success since arriving at the Brazilian giants 12 months ago.

According to Football Italia, the Scarlet-Black have hinted a permanent transfer for the striker could soon be completed.

"We had an excellent meeting yesterday," team vice-president Marcos Braz said. "We took steps forward, and I think we should have a happy ending by the end of next week. At least, I hope we do."

However, Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) reported Flamengo have not met Inter's asking price, and they could be short of the money the Italian club are demanding to sell the rejuvenated forward.

The Sao Paulo native was named 2019 South American Footballer of the Year after firing Flamengo to the Brazilian league title and Copa glory.

The forward scored 34 goals in 43 appearances, helping Jorge Jesus' team to that unique double and the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, where it lost 1-0 in extra time to Liverpool in Qatar.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia), Flamengo have offered €18 million and 20 per cent of any future transfer fee. However, Antonio Conte's club want €22 million to complete the switch.

In today's spiralling market, the player's fee appears dwarfed by the huge transfer deals across world football, and his potential availability could tempt others.

Mundo Deportivo (h/t Will Griffee for MailOnline) reported Barcelona could make a move for the player to replace the injured Luis Suarez, who has been ruled out for four months. Inter are reportedly interested in Barca midfielder Arturo Vidal, opening up the possibility of a swap deal between the parties.

At 23, Gabigol has plenty of development left in him, and a move to the Camp Nou to be Suarez's long-term heir would be appealing. The opportunity to play with Lionel Messi would be a huge draw.

The Mirror (h/t Lloyd Johnson of the Daily Express) reported Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho could swoop for Gabigol after losing Harry Kane until April due to a hamstring injury. Chelsea and West Ham United could also reportedly be destinations for the in-demand goalscorer during January.

Flamengo were crowned 2019 Copa Libertadores winners on Saturday after defeating holders River Plate 2-1 in Lima, Peru.

Rafael Santos Borre gave the champions a first-half advantage after smashing home Ignacio Fernandez's cutback cross after 14 minutes.

With River fully in control and Flamengo out of form on the night, Gabriel Barbosa scored two late goals to give the Brazilians the title.

Gabigol slotted home his first in the 89th minute and slammed home the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.

The Brazil international was sent off in the final seconds, but Gabigol was the match-winner during the most dramatic sporting climax.

FLAMENGO ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA! 🏆🤯 pic.twitter.com/oxnnvSgqvn

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 23, 2019

Flamengo struggled to settle to the task at hand, and River appeared superior in their search for openings during the 60th Copa final. The first half lacked any real rhythm, and goalscoring opportunities were sparse before the opener.

River were rewarded for their endeavours after driving the Brazilians back and exposing the space vacated.

Fernandez sprinted down the right wing, and his cross caused confusion in the Flamengo box, allowing Borre to finish with conviction. The Brazilians appeared stunned, and the Argentinians showed why they captured the trophy last term.

Matias Suarez was superb as he drove the champions forward, and the 31-year-old was influential throughout the game. Exequiel Palacios almost doubled River's lead before half-time, but the midfielder's shot just missed the target.

Flamengo upped their tempo in the second half. However, the Argentinians looked the more likely to wrap up victory. The Brazilians nearly grabbed a surprise equaliser shortly before the hour mark, and with the ball bouncing around the box, Flamengo failed to hit the target.

River sat deep as the game crawled towards the final whistle, but Flamengo mustered a late attack, allowing Gabigol to tap home a shocking equaliser. The goal came against the run of play, and River appeared to be cruising towards the retention of their title.

Argentinian supporters barely had time to draw breath before Gabigol sent Flamengo fans wild with the winner.

The Brazilian side had been second-best all night, but Gabigol made no mistake when the ball dropped to him in the box, and the Inter Milan loanee fired his shot with deadly precision.

Two red cards were produced during an emotional finale. Palacios and Gabigol were given their marching orders as temperatures overheated at the end.

However, the damage was done. River had no time left to produce a comeback, handing Flamengo the South American title.

                  

What's Next

Flamengo face Ceara on Thursday in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, and River Plate visit Newell's Old Boys on Dec. 1 in the Argentinian Superliga.

Flamengo CEO Reinaldo Belotti has said the fire that killed 10 young players at the club's training ground on Friday was caused by an electricity spike that sparked a fire in an air conditioning unit.

Per Reuters (h/t ESPN), the fire followed a storm over Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday night that killed at least six people.

Belotti attributed the electricity spike to the weather: "It was a succession of events after a catastrophic day for Rio that led to this even greater catastrophe."

The fire burned through a dormitory at the Urubu's Nest training ground, where the club's youth players slept:

BRAZIL: At least 10 people died in a fire at the training complex of Flamengo Football Club in Rio, firefighters say pic.twitter.com/QeNpgPVfQm

— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) February 8, 2019

Following the fire, the mayor's office for Rio said the club had been told to close down the dorm "almost 30 times" because the area it was built on was registered as a parking lot, but Belotti dismissed that issue as a contributing factor:

"This area was well known to everyone, It was comfortable and adequate. We were proud of it. The truth is that it was a tragic accident. It was not because of a lack of investment by Flamengo. It was not because Flamengo did not take care."

All of the victims have been identified and were aged between 14 and 17 years old.

A club supporters group paid tribute to those killed:

https://twitter.com/RDTRubroNegro/status/1093975033985359877

Three others were hospitalised—one in "serious condition"—while 10 other teenagers escaped unharmed. One boy recounted that he woke in the early hours of Friday morning to discover his air conditioning unit was aflame.

Flamengo were scheduled to host Fluminense in the semi-final of the Taca Guanabara on Saturday, but the match has been moved to Thursday.

A fire at Flamengo's training complex in Rio de Janeiro has killed 10 people.

According to Adam Forrest of The Independent, firefighters have confirmed at least three people have also been injured after the blaze broke out early Friday morning at the Urubu's Nest training centre. It was extinguished after burning for over two hours.

Per BBC News, the victims have yet to be identified, but a dormitory used by youth players aged between 14 and 17 was engulfed by the flames while the players were asleep.

Brazilian news outlet G1 provided an image showing the effects of the fire:

URGENTE: Incêndio deixa 10 mortos no Centro de Treinamento do Flamengo https://t.co/F4nd0oABiH #G1 pic.twitter.com/b2TIFjpTkq

— g1 (@g1) February 8, 2019

The cause is not yet known.

Brazil legend and former Flamengo player Zico posted a message on his Instagram page in the wake of the tragedy, per Eurosport: "What a shock getting this news here on the other side of the world," the former Brazil midfielder wrote. "May the Red-and-Black nation have strength and faith to get through this moment."

Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior, who moved to the Santiago Bernabeu from Flamengo last summer, also took to social media to offer his condolences: "What sad News! Praying for everyone! Strength, strength, strength."

Que notícia triste! Oremos por todos! Força, força e força 😢

— Vini Jr. (@vinijr) February 8, 2019

Flamengo, five-time champions of Brazil, finished runners-up in the Brasileiro last season.

The 2019 league campaign does not get under way until April, but Flamengo are scheduled to face Fluminense on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Taca Guanabara.

After destroying Bethe Correia in 34 seconds in Brazil on Saturday night at UFC 190, Ronda Rousey is staying in the country for a holiday.

She attended her first-ever football game at the famous Maracana Stadium, where she watched Flamengo play Santos and was photographed wearing a Flamengo shirt alongside fellow UFC superstar Jose Aldo.

Olha quem esta aqui e já virou @Flamengo? @RondaRousey!!! Welcome to @Maracana! pic.twitter.com/Psm9iRqO7L

— Jose Aldo Junior (@josealdojunior) August 2, 2015

Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) go to the Maracana to watch soccer match and is applauded by the crowd! #GoRonda #UFC190 pic.twitter.com/hpLAtCJR9r

— Gabriel Maggiorini (@gabrieldesa_) August 2, 2015

Ronda Rousey watches soccer game at Maracana following Bethe Correia knockout http://t.co/nGX91DdGMQ pic.twitter.com/DJcPlctlzO

— Soccer Sense (@SoccerSense) August 3, 2015

While wearing Flamengo's famous colours and watching the game, she wrote on Instagram, "That moment when you realize life is great and you can eat all the hotdogs you want!!! Had a blast at my first-ever soccer game."

Flamengo have traditionally been the most popular team in Brazil, with legends Zico and Ronaldinho among their former stars.

[Twitter, Instagram] 

According to a report from FOX Sports, the famed former Barcelona man, Ronaldinho, is set to sign with Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro. This comes a week after having his contract terminated by his former club, Flamengo, for his suing the club for unpaid wages. 

Atletico Mineiro will likely use Ronaldinho to attract a few more players to the middle of the table side, as they have yet to win a trophy since 1997, which came in the Conmebol Cup, a competition they won five years previously in 1992. 

The question has to come up though: If you were in charge of a club, would you sign Ronaldinho?

Sure, he is a two-time former FIFA World Player of the Year, winning it in back-to-back years in 2004 and 2005, but does assume some risk. With this new lawsuit against his former clubs and his various off-the-field problems, a second assessment of his worth is worth it.

There was a bit of speculation of him possibly signing with Palmeiras and even Chinese side, Guangzhou Fuli, but he seems to have turned to the Minas Gerais state champions to play for the remaining of the 2012 Brasileirao season.

It will be interesting to see if this side will be able to pay his wage demands though, because as Fox Sports reported:

"The club admitted it was having difficulties paying for Ronaldinho's salary after ending its partnership with sports marketing group Traffic, which had paid most of his reported $700,000 monthly wages."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3b64FpVbsc

The 32-year-old obviously has very high wage demands, even more so now that he is playing outside of the big-spending European market. 

Hopefully the fans of the Galo will be a bit less critical of the now-streaky Brazilian star, as he struggles with fitness and whatever mayhem happens off the field for Ronaldinho. 

Only time will tell for those associated with the Brazilian side. 

As notorious as he is around the world, if you had the choice, where would you like to see Ronaldinho play before he retires from the game of football?

Stay up-to-date on the happenings in the world of football. Follow me on Twitter. 

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Brazilian players moving to Europe and returning to Brazil are far from uncommon. What makes Ronaldinho's case different however, is that although he is no longer at his best, nor is he completely over the hill, like many Brazilians when they make their way back home. Ronaldo "El Fenomeno," for example was 33 years old and overweight when he made the move back to Brazil. Roberto Carlos was 37; Rivaldo returned to Brazil at 32, left again and has since returned at the tender age of 38.

The fact is whilst many Brazilians do return home to retire, that is exactly what most of them are doing. They are there to see out their last couple of years of football, because they could no longer compete in Europe. Ronaldinho, however, is still perfectly capable of competing in Europe, and attracted a lot of interest when Milan made him available for transfer. 

This has been occurring more and more in recent seasons, the most notable examples being Robinho's loan move to Santos in 2010 and Juliano Belletti and Fred's move to Fluminense. 

Clubs in Brazil are generally incapable of offering the same high wages that top clubs in Europe can, but by around 28, a top Brazilian footballer in Europe is likely to have earned more money than they are likely to spend, and a degree of patriotism and loyalty should be enough to encourage Brazilians to return home.

The Brazilian Serie A is a league with great potential, arguably the strongest in the Americas. With young stars still coming through and attracting interest from Europe, the best way for Brazilian clubs to hold off interest from Europe is to attract players the other way. As more talented players return from Europe, or remain in Brazil, the reputation of the league increases, along with the club's finances and pulling power.

By starting a trend, it could easily become the norm for Brazilian players simply to stay in Brazil, or indeed to simply spend less time playing in Europe, and thus build the Brazilian league into one of the strongest on the planet.

Imagine if wonder-kid Neymar spends his whole career at Santos. Imagine if Luis Fabiano were to return to Sao Paulo, and Maicon moved back to Cruzeiro. These are simply some examples, but they would surely attract interest to the league, encouraging television companies worldwide to broadcast the league, and as such, send a steady cash flow into the league and the clubs it contains. When this happens, the league can begin to attract Argentinian, Spanish, Italian and French players. 

All it takes is a few high-profile players, still capable of performing at the highest level, to decide that they want to build the sport within their home nation. In terms of passion, few fans can touch the Brazilians, and it only seems fitting that those same fans of the national team are able to support some of the top clubs in the world, with the best players in the world, within their own country.

Brought together to meet Equador and Peru for the World Cup qualifiers, Brazilian players huddle and chat about how wonderful it is for Ronaldo to be playing in Brazil. A debate gets going as to whether or not it's worth coming back to Brazil from Europe before getting to 30 years of age.

Is it worth it to earn a bit less but to enjoy life with childhood friends and family?

The final whistle of the qualifying matches goes and immediately Adriano announces that he will not be returning to Inter Milan and Europe. Could this be the "Ronaldo effect" in action?

Word is that Ronaldinho and Robinho are also thinking along similar lines. Ronaldo spreads the word that life is good.

"The Sao Paulo night life is great and I'm only 40 minutes by plane from Rio de Janeiro," he tells his friends by phone.

People close to Adriano have affirmed that Ronaldo's example played a part in his decision to trade Inter Milan for Flamengo and also trade the European leagues for the Brazilian championship.

Members of staff connected with Ronaldinho and Robinho have said, "Both dream of returning to Brazil with the same intensity with which once dreamt of leaving."

However the stumbling block for these two are the monumental contract fines which bind them. Wagner Ribeiro, who once worked for Robinho until his move to Manchester City describes the Ronaldo effect like this:

"Ronaldo showed the gang that you can return early and enjoy life back home".

Julio Mariz, the president of Traffic, talks of positive numbers back home: "I think the players really think about coming home early. Nowadays you can easily earn $75K a month playing in Brazil, there are some who earn $150K."

Ronaldo earns $200K tax free playing in Brazil. This figure can hit as high as almost $900K a month from shares in Corinthian's sponsorship funds.

Robinho, who has another three years to serve out his contract with Manchester City, earns about $700K a month. Robinho managed to triple what he earned at Real Madrid but is as unhappy with Manchester City as the club is with him no doubt.

Evandro Souza, a member of Robinho's staff, says Robinho's wish is to return to Santos but right now it is impossible. As far as Ronaldinho goes, well comments by his manager sums it all up.

"Brother, we're just fine ... there are 30 million Euros in play here!" said Ronaldinho's brother/manager Assis.

Ronaldino, just like Robinho and Adriano, also dreams of coming home but money, contracts and his brother seem to get in the way. One way or the other it seems the scene is set for some changes in world football as the Ronaldo effect grabs hold of Brazilians all over the world.

"Either I'm going to jail or I'm gonna get killed today."

The latter came true for Germano Soares da Silva, a 46-year old Flamengo hooligan who said this to his mother shortly before his team's all important derby against rivals Vasco da Gama.

Both on and off the pitch, the rivalry between Vasco da Gama and Flamengo is intense.

Compared to Scotland's "Old Firm", the derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate in Argentina, El Superclasico makes the game up in Scotland seem like "a primary school kickabout."

And according to my Brazilian friend Ricardo, the game in Argentina is a "preseason friendly compared to Brazil's Clássico dos Milhões."

Clássico dos Milhões translated into English means "the Millions Derby," as it always draws the largest crowds in Rio de Janeiro.

Maracana Madness

Although nowhere near as intense off the pitch, action on that hallowed turf in the world famous Maracana Stadium can be one of the most intense in world football.

For many years the games between both sides have been crucial in deciding who stays up and who goes down in Brazil's highest league, Serie A, as well as deciding who wins the championship and who wins in the cup final.

Both Flamengo and Vasco da Gama are established power houses in samba football—both having won four Brazilian championships and one Copa Libertadores each. With such an equal record, it is a colossal victory for either side when they win.

An example of this would be the 1978 Rio State Championship Final at a packed Maracana Stadium with an estimated 125,000 crazy football hooligans.

In the 86th minute, defender Rondinelli became a legend in Flamengo colours when he suprised the Vasco defence and headed home a Zico cross to take the championship.

"That goal was unforgettable. Every Flamenguista (Flamengo supporter) has a special affection for that ball that blasted past Leao (Vasco's keeper)."

These were the words recalled by the defensive legend who was given the nickname "God of Race" because of his love for Flamengo.

Flamengo may have had that one, but Vasco's sweetest moment came in the 1988 final.

Again at a jam packed Maracana, future 1994 World Cup champions Mazinho, Romario, Jorginho, Aldair, Leonardo, Bebeto, and Zinho, were all put aside by a lowly bench-boy.  

A substitute who was named by fans after a Brazilian sweetmeat made of coconut and sugar, Vasco forward "Cocada," came on in the 86th minute. He scored the winner in the 89th and got sent off just 60 seconds later after celebrating his wonderstrike.

He recalls, "In four minutes, I entered the annals of Vasco da Gama. I am a blessed person."

A die-hard Rubronegro (Vasco da Gama supporter), Cocada went from a lowly bench-boy to a Vasco legend in just four minutes, errupting the Maracana into a cacophony of delirious delight.

Rio de Janeiro: The Gaza Strip of Football

When it comes to football, Rio is owned by two gangs—or organizadas as they're known in Brazil—the FJV (Vasco's ultras) and the TJF (Flamengo's ultras).

Speaking to Brazilian newspaper O Dia, an FJV member described the fans' rivalry as a war zone with both the TJF and the FJV having their own "territory," saying, "To invade an enemy's territory today is the same thing as trying to cross the Gaza Strip waving an Israel flag. You'd be asking to be shot."

Looking at statistics, a war between these organizadas seems evident in Rio as over 600 utlras were arrested last year by police for fighting in and around the stadiums.

Police know there are these ultras around, but find it very difficult catching such criminals.

Major Marcelo Pessoa, a man responsible for police supervision in Rio's stadiums, told football magazine FourFourTwo, "They use drug-trafficking tactics, like sending motorcycles to search the area, find where the enemy is, and look for the best routes."

All in all, there is one thing which emphasises the hatred between Vasco da Gama and Flamengo supporters.

During a police raid of the FJV headquarters, an illustrated course called "How to Kill a Flamenguista" was found. In the pictures, the ultras simulated stabbing and kicking a man wearing a Flamengo shirt.

Hatred is Rife in the Wonderful City

Despite being the most-hotly disputed clash, the Clássico dos Milhões probably isn't the most famous in Rio.

This derby is just pipped by the one between Flamengo (again) and Fluminense, which is simply known as "Fla-Flu."

Brazilian journalist Nelson Rodrigues immortalised the showdown in his writing for the Rio de Janeiro press, "The Fla-Flu doesn't start. The Fla-Flu doesn't end. The Fla-Flu was created 40 minutes before nothing."

Another one of his famous quotes on the spectacle is: "On the day the Paradise was inaugurated, there was an open gate Fla-Flu. And people dripped from the walls."

The last great decisive Fla-Flu was in 1995, when all eyes were on Romario. Renato Gaucho stole the show however with his "belly goal," earning Flamengo the trophy, and him the title "King of Rio."

Next time you think of the world's greatest derby, never forget the football-mad continent South America, and in particular a country called Brazil, where fans will go as far as killing the fans of other teams in order to have their club at the top.

As the cliché saying goes: "Football is not just a matter of life and death. It's more important than that."

Clearly, that is the case in Rio de Janeiro.