Flamengo Club history, all about the most popular club in Brazil

Welcome to Sportmob's article about Flamengo Club history. Flamengo or Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club located in Rio de Janeiro's Gávea neighborhood. Flamengo is best known for its professional football squad. The club was founded particularly as a rowing club in 1895, and their first recognized football match was not until 1912.

Flamengo wears red and black striped shirts with white shorts and red and black striped socks as their original outfit. With a few exceptions in recent years, Flamengo has traditionally played its home matches in the Maracana, Brazil's national stadium, since its construction in 1950. The vulture has been Flamengo's most well-known mascot since 1969.

Flamengo established itself as one of Brazil's most successful sports teams in the twentieth century, winning multiple Campeonato Carioca titles prior to the foundation of the first Brazilian national football championship in 1959, during the era of state leagues in

. Since then, they have won eight Campeonato Brasileiro Série A titles, including the 1987 Copa Unio, three Copa do Brasil titles, and a record 37 Campeonato Carioca titles.

They are one of just three clubs in the Brazilian Serie A that have never been demoted. The club's greatest triumphs in South American and international tournaments include its victories in the 1981 and 2019 Copa Libertadores, as well as the 1981 Intercontinental Cup versus Liverpool, headed by the club's most legendary player Zico. Flamengo's most ferocious and long-standing rivalries are with Rio de Janeiro's other "Big Four" clubs: Fluminense, Botafogo, and

. So let's start to read 

Flamengo Club history

.

Here we go to find out the untold in Flamengo Club history

Flamengo is Brazil's most popular football team, with around 40.2 million fans as of 2020. With an annual income of R$950.0 million and a worth of nearly R$2.9 billion, it is also Brazil's wealthiest and most valuable football club. Before we start to read

Flamengo club history

, we will take a look at some quick facts that can help us through this article.

• Full name:

  Clube de Regatas do Flamengo

• Nickname:

  Rubro-Negro, Scarlet-Black

• Founded:

  November 17, 1895; 126 years ago

• Stadium:

  Maracanã

• Capacity:

  78,838

• President:

  Rodolfo Landim

• Head coach:

  Paulo Sousa

• League:

  Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

The beginning of the story!

On November 17, 1895, a group of rowers convened at Nestor de Barros' home on Flamengo Beach in Rio de Janeiro to form Flamengo. Rowing was the elite, upper middle class sport in the region in the late 1800s, and the group wanted to impress the city's high society young women by forming a rowing club.

They could only previously afford an old boat called Pherusa, which had to be extensively restored before being used in competition. On October 6, 1895, the squad set sail from Caju Point toward Flamengo Beach for the first time.

Strong gusts, on the other hand, flipped the boat over, nearly drowning the rowers. A fishing boat named Leal came to their rescue. The Pherusa was later stolen while undergoing repairs and was never discovered. The gang put money aside to purchase a new yacht, the Etoile, which they christened Scyra.

The group assembled at Nestor de Barros' mansion on Flamengo beach on November 17 to form the Grupo de Regatas do Flamengo (Flamengo Rowing Group) and pick its first board and president.

A few weeks later, the name was changed to Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, which is still in use today (Flamengo Rowing Club). The club's founders opted to mark the club's founding on November 15 in order to coincide with Republic Proclamation Day, a national holiday.

Flamengo's football squad was formed only when a group of 10 disgruntled

players left the club after a disagreement with the board. The players chose Flamengo since the team's captain, Alberto Borgerth, was also a Flamengo rower.

In addition, joining football rivals Botafogo or the all-English Paissandu was preferable to establishing a land sports department at Flamengo. On November 8, 1911, new members were inducted. A resolution opposing the club's participation in football competitions was rejected, and on December 24, 1911, the members formally founded the club's new football department.

Sparks of football story

The new squad practiced on Russel Beach and rapidly gathered support from the residents, who observed their practice matches with interest. On May 3, 1912, the club's first official match was played, and they won by a score of 16–2 against Mangueira, which remains the club's highest margin of victory to this day.

Flamengo's first match versus Fluminense, which marked the beginning of the Fla-Flu rivalry, was played on July 7 of that year, and Fluminense triumphed 3–2. Flamengo finished second in the Campeonato Carioca, the Rio de Janeiro State Championship, in the same year.

Due to its resemblance to a certain type of kite, the team's initial jersey was named papagaio vintém. The team won the Campeonato Carioca for the first time in 1914, and they used a red, black, and white striped jersey known as "cobra coral" until 1916. In 1915, 1920, and 1921, Flamengo won the Campeonato Carioca three more times.

The squad set a record by winning the Campeonato Carioca and five additional competitions in 1925. In 1927, the influential Rio daily Jornal do Brasil conducted a mail-in contest to discover "the most cherished club in Brazil," in collaboration with a mineral water firm.

Despite the fact that Flamengo's fan base grew the most after the team became professional in the 1930s, they still won the vote over popular rival Vasco da Gama. Flamengo was voted the most popular club in Brazil for the first of many occasions, earning the nickname "O mais querido do Brasil" (the most beloved of Brazil).

The squad traveled on its first trip outside of Brazil in 1933 and played its final match as an amateur team on May 14, the same year, defeating River Futebol Clube 16–2. The club's football department turned professional as a result of this. Let's see how the club found its way into professional clubs in the next part of the

Flamengo Club history

article

Becoming a professional club

José Bastos Padilha, local advertising, was chosen club president in 1934 and served until 1937. During his time as president, the club's popularity in Rio de Janeiro and throughout Brazil skyrocketed.

He created a contest for children in schools to come up with slogans that described Flamengo, from which the phrase Uma Vez Flamengo, Flamengo até morrer ("Once you're Flamengo, you're Flamengo 'til you die") was born, and later became the club's song.

Padilha signed great players like Domingos da Guia and Leônidas da Silva in 1936. A person who would go on to be the leading goalscorer in the 1938 FIFA World Cup as a Flamengo player. Flamengo grew in popularity as a result of these popular players, and it is thought that by this time, Flamengo was the most popular club in the country.

Flamengo signed Hungarian coach Izidor "Dori" Kürschner in 1937, who brought the WM system to Brazil as well as other European innovations including training without the ball and playing a more defensive, controlled style.

Flamengo's new stadium and present training complex, the Estádio da Gávea, was built with Padilha's help. The stadium opened on September 4, 1938, with

 defeating Flamengo 2–0, prompting Kürschner's dismissal.

With the unification of the two competing leagues in 1938, the five-year schism in Rio de Janeiro football over the debate between professionalism and amateurism was ended. Flamengo had been a member of the professional LCF - Liga Carioca de Football.

Flamengo won the state championship in 1939, after a 12-year drought without a title, with a team that would go on to become the foundation of the three-time state winners in the 1940s.

The Hexagonal Tournament of Argentina, held in 1941, was the group's first international competition. Charanga Rubro-Negra, Brazil's first organized supporter group, was created in 1942 to support Flamengo.

Flamengo's fame grew by chance during World War II, when the United States, one of Brazil's allies, constructed two high-powered antennae in Natal and Belém, in the north of the country, to receive enemy radio messages.

They also allowed folks in the North and Northeast to listen to football matches on the radio. Due to the fact that Rio de Janeiro was the country's capital at the time, and Flamengo's success with Zizinho and Domingos da Guia during the war years, statewide support grew.

Flamengo won their first tricampeonato Carioca in 1944 which means collecting three straight state titles in Rio de Janeiro (winning 1942, 1943, and 1944 competitions). Zizinho, a Flamengo product who is widely regarded as the club's first "idol," was a significant member of this squad.

Just before the commencement of the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, Zizinho was relocated to Bangu, where he scored twice and the Seleço placed second. Flamengo won the Rio de Janeiro State League three times in a row between 1953 and 1955.

The Golden era of Flamengo club

In this part we will dive into the golden period of Flamengo history. The club won the Campeonato Carioca state championship for the 18th time in 1978. The five years that followed would go down in history as the club's greatest successful period. Several Brazilian players, including Jnior, Carpegiani, Adlio, Cláudio Ado, and Tita, were led by Zico to three consecutive state championship titles, the club's third tri-championship in four years.

Flamengo was propelled to their first Brazilian Championship in 1980 as a result of this period of consistently strong play. As national champions, the club qualified for the first time in its history to compete in the South American continental event, the

, held in 1981.

Flamengo's 1981 season is regarded as a watershed moment in the club's history. After claiming four victories in four matches in the Copa Libertadores group stage, they proceeded to the semi-finals of the competition.

In the final, they faced Chilean club Cobreloa, which was also competing in the tournament for the first time. Flamengo won the first final at the Maracana thanks to two goals from Zico, who scored a brace. The following week, the Brazilian team was met with a hostile greeting on the field at the National Stadium in Santiago, and they lost 1–0 as a result of a penalty kick.

A third match was played at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, which served as a neutral venue because the teams were tied on goals. With two goals in the first half, Zico sealed the game and the championship for his team. Flamengo was declared South American champions on November 23 and qualified for the Intercontinental Cup, which will be played in Tokyo's Olympic Stadium versus Liverpool FC, the winners of the European Champions Cup.

The most crucial encounter in the club's history took place on December 13, 1981, when Zico, Tita, and Nunes stepped on the field for the first time. Flamengo became the first Brazilian team to win the World Cup since Pelé's Santos with a 3–0 victory over Liverpool, thanks to two goals from Nunes and one from Adilio, as well as a fantastic midfield effort by Zico.

The following two years were also fruitful in terms of business. Flamengo's "Golden Age" came to an end with one more Rio de Janeiro State Championship in 1981 and two Brazilian Championships in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Let's see how Zeco's return changed Flamengo Club history.

Returning of Zico and clubs revival

This part of the Flamengo Club history changed so many things. After spending two years with Udinese in Italy, Zico returned to Flamengo in 1986 and won his final state championship. Only one month after his comeback, he received a major knee injury as a result of a vicious tackle from Bangu defender Marcio Nunes, which sidelined him for several months and hampered his performance in the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Zico was a key contributor to Flamengo's win in the first Copa Unio in 1987. The CBF was having major financial and institutional issues that year, and it was unable to get funding to conduct the national championship as it had in previous years.

As a result, the thirteen largest clubs in Brazil reacted by forming a new body called the Club of 13 to conduct their own competition. The CBF initially supported the Club of 13 decision but was forced by other clubs to create a broader national tournament. Finally, CBF added three new clubs to the Copa Unio, renamed it the "Green Module," and established a second "Yellow Module" comprising 16 additional teams.

CBF then decided that for the 1987 Brazilian Championship, the winners and runners-up from both modules would face off in a knockout-style cup to determine the national champion and qualification for the Copa Libertadores, despite the fact that this decision was made after the championship had begun and without the Club of 13's approval. Flamengo won the Copa Unio with huge victory over Internacional and Atlético Mineiro, thanks to outstanding performances from Zico, Zé Carlos, Renato Gacho, and

.

However, there was some disagreement about whether Flamengo and Internacional from the Green Module would contest the quadrangular versus

and Guarani from the Yellow Module.

The Club of 13 clubs had agreed not to participate in the CBF final because it was decided while the matches were already in progress, but Eurico Miranda, a representative of Flamengo's arch-rival and member of the Club of 13, had already signed an agreement with the CBF regarding the final without the board's consent.

Flamengo did not play in the final since it was understood that it would only select Copa Libertadores entrants and not the Brazilian national champion. The sport was officially acknowledged as the single champion by the CBF in 1987, and they qualified for the Copa Libertadores.

Flamengo was named 1987 champion retrospectively by the CBF in 2011. Sport afterward appealed the verdict to a Common Justice Tribunal, which FIFA forbids, and CBF eventually crowned Sport the single winner of that year.

scored 508 goals for Flamengo and was the club's all-time leading scorer before retiring in 1990. Flamengo had a successful post-Zico period despite the absence of its biggest star. They won the national championship in the second Copa do Brasil, in 1990, defeating Goiás in the finals. Flamengo won their sixth Campeonato Brasileiro in 1992, defeating Botafogo in the final over two legs (3–0, 2–2). Jnior, who was 38 years old at the time, was once again the team's major player.

The story of the phoenix

Flamengo Club history has its own ups and downs. On the morning of February 8, 2019, a fire broke out in the living quarters of Flamengo's Ninho do Urubu training complex. Ten youth youngsters between the ages of 14 and 17 who were training with the club were killed in the fire.

Three more people were hurt. The fire was started by a defective air-conditioning unit in one of the victims' rooms at 5:00 a.m. Rodolfo Landim, the club's president, called it "the worst catastrophe the club has ever endured in its 123 years."

Following the incident, the governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro established a three-day period of mourning. Since then, Flamengo fans have been singing in memory of those children, known as the "Garotos do Ninho." It occurs every ten minutes during Flamengo home games, as ten children were tragically killed in the tragedy.

The 2019 football season was the most successful in the club's history. Rodolfo Landim was elected club president for a three-year term at the end of 2018. Flamengo paid the most expensive incoming transfer fee in Brazilian football history, R$63 million (€14.5 million), to sign Giorgian De Arrascaeta from Cruzeiro.

In January, the club signed forward

from Santos and secured the loan of Inter Milan forward Gabriel "Gabigol" Barbosa. After Flamengo advanced past the Copa Libertadores group stage, manager Abel Braga quit and was replaced by Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus.

Rafinha, Filipe Luis, Pablo Mar, and Gerson, all of whom are located in Europe, have been added to Flamengo's roster. Flamengo defeated Grêmio 5–0 in their home leg at the Maracana to go to their first Libertadores final since 1981 after qualifying for their first Copa Libertadores semi-final since 1984.

The Copa Libertadores final was contested as a single match in a neutral venue for the first time in the competition's history. Flamengo trailed defending champions River Plate 0–1 in the final minutes on November 23, 2019, at the Estadio Monumental in Lima, Peru, when Gabriel scored twice to secure a 2–1 triumph.

Flamengo won the Campeonato Brasileiro for the first time since 2009 with four matches remaining when Palmeiras was defeated by Grêmio in the 34th round. Flamengo became only the second Brazilian club, after

's

1962 Santos team, to win their state championship (2019 Campeonato Carioca), Campeonato Brasileiro, and Copa Libertadores in the same season.

Flamengo's 2019 season, led by Jorge Jesus, set a number of records in the Campeonato Brasileiro's 20-team double round-robin era, including most points, most wins, most goals scored, best goal differential, longest undefeated streak (24 matches), most points ahead of runners-up, and most goals scored by a single player.

Flamengo competed in the FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar for the first time in the club's history in 2019. The club defeated Al Hilal SFC 3–1 in the semi-finals before falling to

0–1 in the final. Thanks for reading Sportmob's

Flumengo Club History

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