Titles | The foundation | The beginning of football | The three state championships | Five-time champion of the Brazilian Cup | Nine-time Brazilian champion
- If at the time of Flamengo's founding, rowing reigned supreme as the favorite sport of Rio de Janeiro residents, another sport soon began to rival the public's preference: soccer. And Flamengo was destined to play a leading role in this new national passion.
In 1911, there was an internal disagreement at Fluminense. Some players discussed leaving clubs, while others even considered abandoning football. That's when Alberto Borgerth, one of Fluminense's players, proposed creating a football section at Flamengo, where he was already a rower. The idea was approved, and on November 8th of that year, the Flamengo Land Sports Department was created.
The new team attracted attention and took the first steps toward gaining immense popularity, training at Praia do Russel. On May 3, 1912, Flamengo's first match took place: a resounding 15-2 victory over Mangueira at the América stadium. The red-and-black lineup for that match was Baena, Píndaro, and Nery; Coriol, Gilberto, and Galo; Bahiano, Arnaldo, Amarante, Gustavo, and Borgerth.
It didn't take long for the first title to arrive: in 1912, Flamengo won its first Campeonato Carioca. The victory came with a round to spare, after a 2-1 victory over Fluminense. Riemer scored the winning goal.
The first soccer jersey was the "Papagaio de Vintém," a red and black checkered jersey. In 1914, the team switched to the "Cobra-Coral," which featured horizontal red and black stripes alongside thinner white stripes and was worn by the team that won its first state title (pictured). The "Manto Sagrado" jersey featured only horizontal red and black stripes from 1916 onwards, when the new uniform debuted in a 3-1 victory over São Bento of São Paulo.
