Inter Milan loanee Gabriel Barbosa won the Golden Ball on Monday for the best player in Brazil’s 2019 Serie A championship. The 23-year-old was rewarded for a season in which he scored 43 goals in 57 matches across all competitions and helped Flamengo win the Serie A-Copa Libertadores double. He was one of seven Flamengo players named in the Serie A team of the year, joining goalkeeper Diego Alves, right-back Rafinha, midfielders Gerson, Willian Arao and Giorgian de Arrascaeta and forward Bruno Henrique. Others selected in Brazilian football’s ideal XI were Palmeiras defender Gustavo Gomes, Santos center-back Lucas Verissimo, Santos left-back Jorge and Palmeiras playmaker Dudu.
