Varela: From Fighting to Having His Name Chanted in Flamengo’s Title

Varela faced tough times at Flamengo. He took time to adapt, endured being benched for a long time, and went through a heavy episode exchanging punches with Gerson, resulting in a fractured nose. These setbacks toughened him and made him resilient. He responded on the field and reached the pinnacle of redemption in the Libertadores title, where he was the first player to have his name chanted by the fans after the final whistle.
Varela was brought to tears. The effort Varela put on the field was recognized by the Flamengo fans at the Monumental. Spontaneously, the supporters loudly chanted the name of the right-back a few minutes after the end of the match. The Uruguayan went to the North sector and, in tears, thanked them for the affection.
“Before the referee blew the final whistle, I was already crying because it was a tough start, you know, I went through a lot. Everyone goes through things, but to celebrate like this, in this manner, that’s why the tears. It was emotional.” Varela
He arrived in the second half of 2022 and was a reserve for Rodinei and Wesley broke his nose after a fight with Gerson. Varela arrived in the second half of 2022. Until the end of the year, he sat on the bench behind Rodinei. Even after Rodinei was sold to Olympiacos in Greece, Varela remained on the bench, this time behind Wesley, a homegrown talent who rose to take the spot.
The fight with Gerson happened on August 15, 2023. After a tough tackle from the midfielder – who now plays for Zenit in Russia – Varela complained, the former teammate didn’t like it, and after a discussion, things got physical. However, the Brazilian prevailed in the scuffle and landed a punch on the Uruguayan’s nose, fracturing it. In the following matches, the full-back had to play wearing a protective mask. They later made amends.
Filipe Luís: ‘By Far the Best Player on the Field’ After the match, coach Filipe Luís had no doubts in declaring Varela as the best player of the Libertadores final. Extraordinary, immense. It’s true that he created a situation for himself to have more time on the ball, to be the free player as we thought Palmeiras could offer pressure. He played well with the ball, but his game grew from defending well. His defensive phase was immaculate. Every minute that passed was a more spectacular play than the last. He was by far the best player on the field. Filipe Luís