Botafogo is enjoying a great present not only in the Brasileirão, where they are currently leaders, but also in the Copa Libertadores, where their star attacker, Junior Santos, has had a spectacular season in terms of scoring figures.
Fogão will face Palmeiras in the round of 16 of the competition, and the club is counting on their top scorer, who has already netted 9 goals in 10 matches, to advance in this challenging tie.
JÚNIOR SANTOS ATÉ 2027 NO FOGÃO! RAAAW! 😁🐊 #VamosBOTAFOGO pic.twitter.com/bEx7nvX9v0
— Botafogo F.R. (@Botafogo) June 14, 2024
Junior Santos’ excellent form has earned him a recent contract renewal with Botafogo until 2027, and this Wednesday (19), the striker is set to reach a landmark 100 matches with the club from Rio. On this, Santos spoke exclusively with Globo Esporte, offering deep confessions and statements about this milestone.
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Junior Santos suffered from depression after not being able to return to Botafogo. Santos joined Botafogo in August 2022 on loan from Sanfrecce Hiroshima of Japan. Despite becoming an invaluable part of their setup, an agreement could never be reached with the Japanese team to finalize his purchase, and it was Fortaleza who bought him in January 2023. The player did not fit into the plans of the Fortaleza coach, and Botafogo finally purchased him in March of that same year.
Playing against Athletico Paranaense tonight in the 10th matchday of the Brasileirão, Junior Santos will reach 100 matches with Botafogo, a milestone he has achieved in two different stints. The striker opened up about the importance of Fogão in his career and how difficult it was not being able to return to Botafogo after his 2022 loan.
Júnior Santos 100 jogos: atacante teve "início de depressão" em saída e escolhe gol favorito no Botafogo https://t.co/7CzbZuJn6I
— ge Botafogo (@ge_botafogo) June 19, 2024
In a conversation with Globo Esporte, Junior Santos discussed what he considers his best day with Botafogo:
“My second return. I felt that I had something to achieve, something to do at Botafogo, and that my mission here wasn’t complete. When I couldn’t stay after that first stage, I was very sad, I even suffered from the onset of depression and all that. I felt I had something to do here. When I came back, I was very happy. I realized that it wasn’t over yet and God gave me a second chance to be here,” he assured.
Junior Santos also picked his favorite goal wearing the Fogão jersey, choosing the one he scored against Bragantino in the preliminary phase of the Libertadores:
“Against RB Bragantino. The first one. Before scoring, I made a move, pulled the defender back, and passed it to Tiquinho. I realized that the defender (Luan) was very eager to get to me, to take the ball away. When I sped up, I realized I was going to cut his mark. I pretended to cross into the area, cut towards the center, and shoot over the goalkeeper. I drew the goal in my head, and it happened.”
Tonight at 19:00 Brasília time, Botafogo will host Athletico Paranaense at Nilton Santos, and Junior Santos could receive a small tribute after reaching the milestone of 100 matches with the club from Rio.
