Becoming the most expensive signing in the history of the Brazilian Serie A, former West Ham United playmaker Lucas Paqueta epitomises the grand ambitions of a Flamengo side aiming to become the Real Madrid of South American football.
Not everybody at the Maracana is on board with the dreams of yearning president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, though.
After months of prolonged negotiations, Flamengo struck a deal with David Sullivan during the January transfer window. Lucas Paqueta was permitted by West Ham United to re-join his beloved former employers for a second spell, to the tune of around £35 million.
Serious question – are you taking a peak Mateus Fernandes or a peak Lucas Paqueta in your dream midfield?!
Such was his desire to return to Rio, Paqueta moved heaven and earth to make the impossible possible; rejecting the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham along the way.
In the aftermath, via Diario AS, Baptista spoke vividly about his desire to make Flamengo ‘the Real Madrid of America’. Paqueta, in that sense, is his very own Galactico.
Comments which, in the midst of five defeats in eleven matches, have not gone down well with furious Torcida Jovem do Flamengo. Especially after a cup final defeat marked the end of Filipe Luis’ reign as head coach, and exacerbated a miserable start to their defence of multiple trophies.
Lanus mock former West Ham United ace Lucas Paqueta after cup final loss
The reigning Brazilian champions were beaten on penalties in the final of the Recopa Sudamerica by Argentina outfit Lanus at the weekend.
Paqueta didn’t even start the second leg. He has nearly as many yellow cards [two] as he has goals [three] since returning to his homeland.
The response from an irate group of supporters, meanwhile, was to take aim at a transfer policy which some believe is favouring big names on big wages. Baptista has spoken openly about his desire to bring Vinicius Jr to Rio as well from Real Madrid, leading to accusations towards a club who may have lost their sense of self.
“The Flamengo Youth Fan Club, on behalf of all those who love and respect the club, hereby expresses its dissatisfaction and discontent with the team’s current situation,” reads a statement, Flamengo’s exceptional 2025 giving way to a very underwhelming 2026 despite the record fee they paid for an underwhelming Paqueta.
“The same fans who support are the same fans who demand results. 2025 has already passed, and we will not tolerate players clinging to the past, we will not tolerate players without commitment to the club. It is unacceptable for a ‘professional’ who earns in a month what many fans will not earn in their entire lives to be unaware of the club’s current situation and continue to think he’s in Disneyland.
We are the ones who love the club. You are driven by money. We are the ones who risk our lives following Flamengo, we are the ones who spend days on the road hungry and cold! We do this for our love of the club, don’t think we owe you anything.
“Good or bad results are part of football. What we will never tolerate is a weak team, a bunch of millionaires who don’t even challenge for the ball. The least you should have is respect for the fans who sometimes skip paying their bills to support their beloved club.”
To quote former head coach Filipe Luis – he paid the price for that cup final defeat on Monday – Paqueta is ‘suffering more than expected’ in the red and black stripes. Just to rub salt into those gaping wounds, Lanus could not resist a dig in Flamengo’s direction after triumphing in the penalty shoot out.
Flamengo might have a 47 million euro footballer in Paqueta, they wrote in a mocking social media post, but Lanus can ‘hug [the Recopa Sudamerica trophy] 47 million times’.
How will you remember Lucas Paqueta? 🤔
President wants to make Flamengo South America’s answer to Real Madrid
The fan group also hit out at Baptista’s apparent obsession with making Flamengo a continental force reminiscent of those across the Atlantic.
“Don’t try to change the essence of the club. Don’t try to turn Flamengo into a European club. It’s impossible that all these years at the club haven’t been enough for you to learn what Flamengo is, to learn that the fans are sovereign and that, regardless of whether they belong to an organised group or not, regardless of whether they go to the stadium or not, they must be respected.
“The fan isn’t stupid as you might imagine. They can see that you’re treating the club like a laboratory, that there are players who, even if they’re not performing, remain your favourites.
“A word of warning to the board: If [the likes of director] Jose Boto is so focused on Europe, he should pack his bags and take the first flight out of Rio de Janeiro.
“The message has been delivered.”
It certainly has. If Paqueta felt that returning to Flamengo as the prodigal son of Rio would be the change he needed after so much off-field drama at West Ham, things are clearly not working out as planned.
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