Hugo Souza, a goalkeeper for Flamengo, was in negotiations with Benfica in 2023. Benfica had shown interest in signing him, but the deal did not materialize. Hugo Souza expressed his desire to discuss his potential to play with Vítor Pereira, the coach at Flamengo, due to being sidelined during negotiations. Vítor Pereira questioned what Benfica saw in Souza to initiate the negotiations, reflecting skepticism about his abilities.