Matheus Gonçalves expresses gratitude for his opportunity at Flamengo upon his departure to Cruzeiro
In a surprising turn of events, the transfer of Matheus Gonçalves from Flamengo to Cruzeiro has been called off. The Brazilian footballer, who had been eager to join Cruzeiro, found himself back with his current team after Flamengo decided to backtrack on the sale.
Initially, it seemed that Gonçalves was on his way to Minas Gerais, with the transfer agreement in place. However, Flamengo opted not to proceed with the deal, likely due to wage demands or stalled negotiations, according to some reports [1].
Gonçalves had been training with his new potential teammates, even posting a picture of himself warming up on Instagram. But the planned trip to Minas Gerais never materialised, and he was instead included in Flamengo's squad for the game against Santos on July 16th.
The game, part of the Brazilian Championship, was played at Vila Belmiro and ended with a 1-0 victory for Flamengo. Despite the opportunity to play, Gonçalves did not feature in the match [3].
The cancellation of the transfer came as a blow to Cruzeiro, who had been eager to secure the services of the young talent. It is unclear if any other clubs were interested in Gonçalves at the time of this canceled deal [4].
Gonçalves, who played 13 games for the professional Flamengo team in 2025 and scored two goals in the Carioca Championship, expressed his gratitude towards Flamengo and specifically coach Filipe Luís for the opportunity he had at the club.
The Minas Gerais SAF (Sporting Club of Minas Gerais) was involved in the negotiations for the transfer, while Gabriel Moraes, a journalist, reported on the attempted transfer [5][6]. There were also reports of Red Bull Bragantino's interest in Gonçalves, which may have affected the negotiations with Cruzeiro [7].
For now, Gonçalves remains a part of the Flamengo team, with the number 20 shirt currently a reserve in the team and often present in under-20 games. The cancellation of the transfer will undoubtedly leave Gonçalves and Cruzeiro fans waiting to see if the deal can be revived in the future.
[1] O TEMPO Sports [2] GloboEsporte [3] UOL Esporte [4] ESPN Brasil [5] UOL Esporte [6] GloboEsporte [7] O TEMPO Sports
Despite the transfer agreement and his training with Cruzeiro, Gonçalves was unexpectedly left with Flamengo after the transfer was cancelled. Caught off guard, Cruzeiro will continue to watch the progress of Gonçalves in hope for a possible future deal in sports, especially football.
