A tumultuous relationship between Pedro and coach Filipe Luís at Flamengo has crossed international borders and oceans. The center forward, unhappy about being benched for the match against São Paulo in the Brazilian Championship, spoke out for the first time after the former player's surprising press conference, in which he criticized Pedro's performance in the lead-up to the game. Pedro's social media post explaining the situation, in an attempt to reconcile with the fans, did not clarify his relationship with the coach. The Spanish newspaper "As" picked up on the issue and echoed the statement made by the Flamengo's number 9. "Hours after Filipe Luís' explosive press conference, in which he harshly criticized Pedro for his poor performance in training, the striker released a statement in response to the Flamengo coach. The player acknowledged the difficulties in recent days and his poor form, but criticized Filipe Luís' behavior. In the first part, he asked for greater respect for everything he had achieved at the club, but did not mention leaving, and only lamented that Filipe had put him up for sale," the publication pointed out.

If there was criticism, the striker expressed it with subtlety, without mentioning Filipe by name in the statement. However, he made a point of explaining that he had already apologized internally to his teammates. See below: "Once clarified internally, I come to the public to speak with the Flamengo fans, whom I have the utmost respect and gratitude for, about the events that have occurred in recent days. It is undeniable that I felt undervalued and exposed, after a 'member' of the club's football department put me up for sale and ruled me out for the rest of the season. I built my trajectory at Flamengo with a lot of hard work and dedication. I fought for my place from day one. I won important titles and a place in history. I expected more respect. Clearly, this fact caused my performance to decline in day-to-day activities. I am not vain and I admit that, during the last week, my performance was below that of my teammates. That's why, in addition, I wasn't included in the squad. The explanation for not being included was simple and clear, but the way it was publicly exposed was over the top and disrespectful. To my teammates, everything is clarified and discussed. Internally. Wednesday, Mengão will be on the field and nothing else matters. Greetings to all Flamengo fans!" ?? Keeping an eye on Lance! and on International Football. All news, information, and events in one place. Filipe Luís embraces Pedro after the striker's goal against Juventude (Photo: Gilvan de Souza/Flamengo) On Saturday (12), after the 2-0 victory over São Paulo at the Maracanã, Filipe gave a press conference and was quickly questioned. Without mincing words, the coach criticized the center forward's attitude throughout the week, describing it as "regrettable," which caused frustration for the striker. Flamengo returns to the field on Wednesday (16), at 8 p.m. (Brasília time), facing Neymar's Santos at Vila Belmiro, in Santos (SP).