The first summer reinforcement has been revealed! Having just arrived at AS Monaco from sister club Cercle Brugge, Flávio Basilua Jacinto Dos Nazinho, to give his full name, is a highly active player on his left flank, capable of shining just as much defensively as offensively. But before his big debut for the Rouge et Blanc, here are nine things to know about the Rock's newest player, who has signed until 2030. Profile 🔍
A 19th Portuguese player at AS Monaco 🇵🇹
While the professional squad hadn't featured a Lusitanian player since Gelson Martins' departure in January 2024, it will have at least one when the 2026-2027 season kicks off. Flávio Nazinho thus becomes the 18th Portuguese player to wear the Rouge et Blanc jersey, following in the footsteps of names like Rui Barros, Ricardo Carvalho, João Moutinho, Bernardo Silva, and Rony Lopes. Not to mention the architect of the 2017 French championship title, manager Leonardo Jardim.
Hailing from the same city as illustrious predecessors 🤝
Born in Costa da Caparica in the municipality of Almada, Portugal's tenth-largest city, Flávio came into the world in the exact same place as a certain... Luis Figo, who notably played for FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, and was even voted Ballon d'Or winner in 2000. It's a commonality he also shares with former Lille player Rafael Leão, currently a key figure for AC Milan in Serie A
Developed in one of the greatest academies 💎
Two well-known names in Portuguese football who, moreover, came through the ranks at Sporting CP... just like the new Monegasque defender. Much like AS Monaco, which has shaped great players like Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, and more recently Kylian Mbappé, the Portuguese club ranks among the best youth academies in the world, unearthing future greats such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes.
A baptism of fire... in Europe 🇪🇺
Inevitably well-surrounded throughout his early years at the Lisbon club, Flávio Nazinho holds the distinction of having made his professional debut during a Champions League match. Indeed, the Portuguese left-back came on late in the game during his team's 3-1 home victory against Borussia Dortmund on November 24, 2021. A team managed at the time by Ruben Amorim.
A double encounter against a Ligue 1 heavyweight Ⓜ️
The following season, still in the Champions League (C1), the player who originally trained as a winger enjoyed a bit more playing time, notably facing Olympique de Marseille during a double encounter in the group stage. Coming on at half-time in both clashes, he was unfortunately unable to prevent his team's defeats (4-1, 0-2), but took the opportunity to get a first glimpse of a Ligue 1 side.
He already knows all the continental competitions 💪
While he had the chance to play in the Champions League with Sporting CP, Flávio also took part in Europa League qualifying matches with Cercle Brugge ahead of the 2024-2025 campaign. Having failed to qualify for the main draw of the Europa League (C3), the Belgian club was then transferred to the Conference League, a competition the Rock's club will incidentally be playing in this season. The Portuguese player has therefore already played in the C1, C3, and C4—a rather rare feat.
Teammate of former or current Monegasques 🇲🇨
At Cercle Brugge, where he has played for the past three seasons, the Portuguese wing-back crossed paths with several familiar faces from AS Monaco. In Belgium, he indeed had the opportunity to play alongside Paris Brunner, Edan Diop, Valy Konaté, and Malamine Efekele. The second of these, who enjoyed a fine season statistically (7 goals and 3 assists) and was also Nazinho's partner on the flank, didn't fail to recommend his formative club to him.
A personal accolade to his name 🏆
Having put together a very solid and complete month of February 2026 with the Green and Blacks, playing the entirety of their three matches and notably picking up a goal and an assist, Flávio was voted Golden Player of the Month by the fans, garnering nearly 32% of the vote.
High potential on FC 26 🌟
Finally, for all lovers of the game, the new Monegasque recruit has a silver card on FC 26 with a 67 overall rating. An overall rating to be polished, since the young full-back has an interesting potential in Career Mode; his rating can climb up to 78, featuring highly appealing acceleration and sprint speed stats in particular.
