Leonardo Rech Ortiz

Léo Ortiz spent nearly a decade in Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo state football before Flamengo made him the most expensive defender in the club's history. Internacional gave him his debut and, after a loan spell at Sport Recife, he found his rhythm at Red Bull Bragantino, where he stayed through the Red Bull group's takeover of the club. Across five seasons there he made almost 200 appearances and contributed a striker's tally of goals for a centre-back, becoming a fixture at the back for a side that punched above its weight in the Brazilian top flight.

That consistency earned him a place in the Campeonato Paulista team of the year in 2021 and, later that season, a run to the final of the Copa América with the Brazilian national team, where he collected a runner-up medal without appearing in a match. Full caps followed sparingly — call-ups for a Copa América squad, friendlies against South Korea and Japan, and World Cup qualifying fixtures — but he has yet to make his competitive debut for the seleção.

Flamengo signed him in March 2024 for a fee that set a new club record for a defender, a marker of how highly Bragantino's academy graduate was rated after years outside the spotlight of Brazilian football's traditional powers. The move paid off quickly. With Flamengo he has already added a Copa do Brasil, a Brazilian Supercup, back-to-back Campeonato Carioca titles and a Brazilian championship to a résumé that began with more modest honours: a Rio Grande do Sul state title with Internacional and a Série B crown with Bragantino. At Flamengo he wears the number 3 shirt, the traditional jersey of the club's central defenders.