Flamengo need goals
galore from ‘Gabigol’
If Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo are to turn around their ailing fortunes and engineer a recovery in the next weeks, they need more goals from their 25-year-old striker Gabriel Barbosa.
Despite his side struggling with form, the international forward has been finding the net with 16 goals in 29 starts in all competitions.
Barbosa began his career at Santos, where his prolific scoring at junior level earned him the nickname “Gabigol”. He debuted in the first team when only a 16-year-old and three years later moved to Inter Milan on a 30-million Euro deal.
But he never cracked the grade in Serie A and was loaned to Benfica in Portugal, where he scored only once. In 2018 he went back to Brazil on loan to Santos and then Flamengo a year later.
Last year he made a permanent move to Flamengo as Inter wrote off an expensive investment. But while his European adventure proved a flop, home is obviously where the heart is and he has flourished in recent months.
Barbosa will also be looking for a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad for Qatar later this year and now needs a run of goals to cement his place amid some stiff competition.