Botafogo, OL: Adryelson’s turbulent year

Fear was back among Botafogo supporters. After three consecutive draws, O Glorioso saw Palmeiras steal the leading position in the Brazilian Serie A standings, three days from the end. Immediately, the ghosts of the incredible failure of 2023 resurfaced and many feared a total collapse during this week of all challenges (shock against Palmeiras in the league on Wednesday and the Copa Libertadores final on Saturday against Atlético Mineiro). While waiting to see if Botafogo will win the South American Champions League, Artur Jorge's team has sent a strong signal to the pessimists. The Carioca club took a big step towards the championship title by winning 3 goals to 1 at Palmeiras on Tuesday evening.

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A liberating goal

A victory which allows John Textor's club to regain first place in the ranking, three lengths ahead of Verdão, two days from the end. And on Tuesday night, one man was perhaps happier than his teammates. This man is Adryelson (26 years old), author of his team's third goal. “First of all, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be here and come back to this club. Thanks to my family for their support, it wasn't easy. It's a huge joy to have won these three points against a great team. The entire team is to be congratulated for their work. Now it's time to concentrate and rest, because there is another big battle ahead of us.”he declared on the microphone of Botafogo TV. And to better understand the defender's joy, we just need to look back on his year of suffering.

Before leaving for Olympique Lyonnais in January 2024, Adryelson was one of Botafogo's indisputable starters at the Seleção gates. But the last time he played against Verdão (November 2, 2023), he was sent off and the Paulista rival won 4-3, before heading a few weeks later to a second consecutive Brazilian championship title. . What followed was a transfer to OL in January 2024 for €3.580 million with the ambition of finally validating his status as an Auriverde international. In vain. Adryelson with Les Gones is barely 4 short matches (3 in Ligue 1, 1 in the Coupe de France) played in the Rhone jersey before his return on loan to Botafogo. A first European experience difficult to digest for the player.

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A return to OL in January, after…

«I didn't leave only for financial reasons, but also to have the opportunity to play in Europe, in a big club like Lyon. After the work I've done with my teammates, it's frustrating to arrive at a club and not have the opportunities I should have had. In the midst of all this, a lot happened, but I came back looking for the opportunity to show my work again“, he declared during his press conference presenting his comeback in Brazil. For his return to Botafogo, Adryelson also accepted without complaint to lose the starting status he had to become the understudy of the new strong axis of the Bastos-Barboza Carioca rearguard. Appearing four times in ten league matches, Adryelson finally took advantage of Bastos' injury exit in the 12th minute during the clash against Palmeiras to secure a fifth appearance in Serie A.

His resilience was rewarded by this goal which sealed his team's victory the day before yesterday and it is not excluded that we will see him start the final of the Copa Libertadores next Saturday. The Brazilian press claims that Bastos' injury could be serious and that the Angolan is clearly uncertain for the second shock of the crazy Glorioso week. Almost a year after the start of his ordeal, Adryelson this time has the opportunity to end the year 2024 in style. And then? According to our information, the Brazilian is expected in Lyon at the end of his loan which ends on December 31. Not enough to ensure a future between the Rhône and Saône, however. The Rhone management will immediately decide whether their player, whose contract runs until 2028, will be loaned again or not, because the Lyon central defense is already well stocked (Moussa Niakhaté, Warmed Omari, Duje Caleta-Car).