Flamengo's Barbosa motivated to prove doubters wrong

Rio De Janeiro, Dec 13

Striker Gabriel Barbosa has revealed he is unhappy at Flamengo after losing his regular starting berth with the Rio de Janeiro club.

The 27-year-old has been relegated to bit-part roles since former Brazil manager Tite replaced Jorge Sampaoli in the Flamengo dugout in October, reports Xinhua.

"Of course I'm angry," Barbosa told the Podpah podcast. "I want to play. It's obvious that I'm unhappy. I went to Inter Milan and Benfica, and I left those clubs because I wasn't playing. It's not me being selfish, it's about wanting to have more opportunities."

Barbosa, known by Brazilian football fans as Gabigol, scored 20 goals across all competitions for Flamengo in 2023, his most meager return since arriving at the club in 2019.

But he promised to work harder on his game in 2024 to prove his detractors wrong.

"I know that the answer is not to keep talking," said the Brazil international, who has one year left on his Flamengo contract.

"I have to respond on the pitch, train hard and give my maximum. When [Tite] needs me, I'll be ready," he added.