Jhon Arias shared an emotional farewell with Fluminense fans ahead of his imminent transfer to Wolverhampton: video

Although his departure to Wolverhampton has not yet been officially announced, Colombian Jhon Arias had an emotional farewell to Fluminense on Thursday, the club where he played for the past four years and with which he shone at the Club World Cup.

Fluminense lost 0-2 to Cruzeiro at the Maracanã, and the match served as a farewell tribute for the tricolor fans to Arias, who, according to the Brazilian press, played his last game with the team, where he became an idol for the "torcida."

Images circulating on social media show Arias approaching the stands at the Maracaná stadium, applauding the fans, while they clap their hands in gratitude in response.

On the screens of the legendary stadium, the venue for the 1950 and 2014 World Cup finals, an image of Arias was displayed with the message "Obrigado" (thank you, in Portuguese).

Arias joined the club in August 2021 from Independiente Santa Fe, although the deal was with Patriotas de Boyacá, the owner of his sporting rights. He has played 230 matches for Fluminense, scoring 65 goals and providing 55 assists.

He was a key player in winning the Copa Libertadores in 2023 and the Recopa Sudamericana in 2024, in addition to the historic participation in the Club World Cup, where Flu reached the semifinals.

Arias' move to Wolverhampton appears imminent, with only confirmation from the clubs pending. Globoesporte revealed details of the negotiation on Wednesday, in which Patriotas gave up a portion of his economic rights to unblock the deal.

Cruzeiro took sole control of the Brasileirao, taking advantage of the setbacks of Flamengo and Bragantino, with whom they were tied on points.

A header from defender Fabricio Bruno following a corner in the 30th minute, followed by another goal from striker Kaio Jorge five minutes later, his twelfth goal in 13 matches, gave the Belo Horizonte side victory over a Fluminense side that was playing in front of its fans again after participating in the Club World Cup.

Despite dominating the match and creating numerous opportunities, Fluminense were left with a stumbling block against veteran goalkeeper Cássio, the star player of the match, and a three-pointer against the goalposts, preventing the Rio de Janeiro team from making a comeback.

For its part, Cruzeiro, who came onto the field depending on itself to assume the lead after Flamengo's 1-0 defeat against Santos and Bragantino's draw at home against Sao Paulo (2-2), assumes the sole leadership for the first time since December 2014, when it last won the Brasileirao, with three points more than Flamengo and Massa Bruta.

With the defeat, Fluminense remained stuck in seventh place with 20 points, 10 behind leader Cruzeiro, although with two games remaining.