Diogo Alves

Diogo Alves survived the fire. In February 2019, a blaze tore through Flamengo's youth training base, Ninho do Urubu, killing several young players; Alves, who had joined the academy the previous year at the age of 14, was among those who got out alive.

He built his career back up through the club's junior sides, winning the Brazilian under-17 championship and under-17 Copa do Brasil in 2021, then the under-20 championship in 2023. That same year, Brazil called him into the under-17 squad for the World Cup. The progress continued at first-team level: Flamengo have registered him among the winners of the 2024 Copa do Brasil and the Campeonato Carioca in both 2024 and 2025, even before he had featured for the senior side.

His first-team debut finally came on 12 January 2025, away to Bangu in the Campeonato Carioca. Since then he has made five appearances for Flamengo's main squad, conceding six goals, with no clean sheets yet to his name. It is a small sample, but enough for the club to commit to him: Flamengo have renewed his contract through December 2026.

Alves plays with his right foot, stands 188cm tall and wears the number 49 shirt — still very much a squad number rather than a starter's, for now. Born in Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará, he remains a product of Flamengo's own academy, with no other clubs on his résumé so far.