The return of Paqueta from West Ham is seen as a major coup for South American football, particularly given the player's age and pedigree in the Premier League. Boto revealed the sheer scale of the operation, insisting that the transfer would have been impossible without the player’s desperate desire to wear the red and black shirt again.
"This shows how much he likes Flamengo," Boto explained. "For this value, there were 10 or 15 clubs in Europe that wanted him. He was very important in this process."
The director admitted that while Flamengo’s finances are robust, they cannot compete with the European elite. The deal relied entirely on Paqueta pushing his representatives to make the Rio move happen. "My part is sporting. Without Paqueta, this transfer was impossible, despite our financial health. Everything he did to be sitting here, and me too, and all his staff, helped a lot in the process; it wouldn't be possible otherwise."
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