Part 4/7:
Last year, Flamengo's football department, led by Marcos Braz, was engaged in contract discussions with Gabriel well ahead of time. However, the climate changed drastically when a sentiment arose among fans and club officials against renewing his contract under advantageous conditions, especially given his drop in form and off-field issues.
One controversial incident involved allegations that Barbosa had made it difficult to collect a doping sample, which tarnished his reputation further and only intensified calls from club officials to reconsider any renewal discussions.