Paquetá to Vinicius: 'Now It's Just You Missing — We Have to Keep Our Promise'
Flamengo's Lucas Paquetá has publicly backed Vinicius Jr following the Prestianni racism incident and dropped a cheeky hint about a future Maracanã reunion.
Flamengo midfielder Lucas Paquetá has come out swinging in support of his close mate Vinicius Jr, following the racism incident involving Gianluca Prestianni in the Champions League play-off first leg — and he’s also dangled the prospect of a future return to Rio.
Standing Firm With Vini
Paquetá didn’t hang about. Speaking on ESPN, the Flamengo man made it crystal clear where he stands. He spoke about how painful it is to keep watching Vinicius go through these experiences, describing the Real Madrid forward as the victim and stressing that he, the whole Flamengo squad, and Vini’s teammates are fully behind him.
He was particularly pointed about the burden that gets placed on Vinicius — someone Paquetá knows personally and describes as genuinely warm and caring. The frustration in his words was obvious. This wasn’t a PR statement. It felt proper heartfelt.
Two Mates, One Old Promise
The pair go back a long way. They shared a dressing room in Brazil and have kept that bond going ever since, which is probably why Paquetá didn’t just stop at the public show of support.
He revealed he’d told Vinicius: “I’m here, now it’s just you missing — we have to keep our promise.” That promise, apparently, dates back over a decade when the two of them were coming through together at Flamengo. Paquetá said he’s confident Vinicius will return to the club “when the time is right.”
It’s a lovely bit of context, that. Two lads making a pact as youngsters, and now one of them is arguably the most talked-about footballer on the planet.
The Bigger Picture
A few things worth keeping in mind here:
- Vinicius is contracted to Real Madrid until June 2027, so any return to Flamengo is still a fair way off at the earliest
- His future remains genuinely uncertain — there’s been no shortage of speculation about Saudi Arabia, a potential new Madrid deal, and everything in between
- Flamengo’s sporting director José Boto has even jokingly suggested that signing Vini Jr. would be the club’s next big target — so it’s not just Paquetá dreaming
Why This Matters
The racism angle is the most important part of this story, full stop. Vinicius has had to deal with this sort of thing far too regularly, and having a close friend in Paquetá speak up so directly — not just with a vague tweet but with actual emotion and detail — is significant.
But the Flamengo reunion chat adds a proper human layer to it all. These aren’t just footballers doing media duties. There’s a genuine friendship here, rooted in where they both came from, and apparently a promise made long before either of them knew quite how far they’d go.
Whether Vini ever does make it back to the Maracanã is anyone’s guess right now. But you can bet the Flamengo faithful will be clinging onto every word Paquetá said.