RIO DE JANEIRO, May 27 (Xinhua) -- After months of expectations and failed negotiations, Botafogo officially presented on Wednesday the return of the midfielder from Santos, Lucio Flavio.

    The player was not happy with his lack of playing time at Santos and decided to make the move back to Botafogo.

    Botafogo also felt a sense of urgency to sign the player in order to fill the void left by Maicosuel. Maicosuel left the team in order to play in Germany for Hoffenheim.

    Flavio returns to Botafogo to wear his old number, 10. He previously played with Botafogo from 2006 to 2008 and was hailed by the fans as the "maestro" of the team.

    Flavio left Botafogo towards the end of last year due to the club's unwillingness to raise the player's salary. Now that the player's relative worth has fallen, he will have to accept the conditions set by the club's new president Mauricio Assumpcao, who is trying to avoid financial tribulations and return the team's fiscal responsibility.

    Flavio's return has already caused a mixed reaction among fans. Some have praised his return, hoping that he is the spark that will ignite the team to raise their level of play in this year's Brazilian Championship.

    However, others consider the athlete to be a traitor. Due to his current slump, some of the Botafogo fans have called him a "has been" and have hung posters protesting his return.