World champions show friendship to this day
The jokes that always set the tone in "Gold Squadron" are still going strong 30 years later
By Official Website Team - in
Just a few minutes spent side by side is enough to bring smiles and laughter to the faces of Flamengo's 1981 World Cup champions. With a squad built on friendship and individual talent, Flamengo achieved the greatest title in its history. But the 1981 World Cup was marked by something else special: the coronation of a generation of friends, all passionate about the sacred jersey.
At each meeting, the players recall stories from the past and relive those special moments as if they were happening today. One of the squad's targets, striker Peu, got laughs again when he recounted the famous mustache episode, on Papo de rubro-negro, held this Monday (12.12), in Gávea.
"I was only 20 years old and had recently arrived from Maceió. I was a Flamengo fan and always watched the team play on TV. Suddenly, I found myself inside Gávea Stadium, alongside the national team's top players. Everything Zico and Junior said was true for me. They said I would have to shave my mustache to enter Japan, and I believed them. They said Junior had gotten permission. So I shaved it off. The joke and the title were worth it. I was champion without the mustache," said Peu.
Adílio, number 8 of the world champion team, also made a point of remembering some funny situations.
"Nunes, when he arrived, was Joãozinho. He scored a lot of goals and was older than me. Today, I'm older than him. How is that possible? I don't understand it," joked Adílio.
Nunes, for his part, was serious. The "Decision-Making Gunner" recalled that Flamengo's World Cup-winning team played around off the field. On the field, the fun was just passing the ball around.
"We worked very hard. Not just anyone can wear the Flamengo jersey and win like we did. Flamengo is no joke. Here, things are serious. That's why we won everything. We didn't play around on the field. There, our only fun was playing the ball well," concluded "João Danado."
At each meeting, the players recall stories from the past and relive those special moments as if they were happening today. One of the squad's targets, striker Peu, got laughs again when he recounted the famous mustache episode, on Papo de rubro-negro, held this Monday (12.12), in Gávea.
"I was only 20 years old and had recently arrived from Maceió. I was a Flamengo fan and always watched the team play on TV. Suddenly, I found myself inside Gávea Stadium, alongside the national team's top players. Everything Zico and Junior said was true for me. They said I would have to shave my mustache to enter Japan, and I believed them. They said Junior had gotten permission. So I shaved it off. The joke and the title were worth it. I was champion without the mustache," said Peu.
Adílio, number 8 of the world champion team, also made a point of remembering some funny situations.
"Nunes, when he arrived, was Joãozinho. He scored a lot of goals and was older than me. Today, I'm older than him. How is that possible? I don't understand it," joked Adílio.
Nunes, for his part, was serious. The "Decision-Making Gunner" recalled that Flamengo's World Cup-winning team played around off the field. On the field, the fun was just passing the ball around.
"We worked very hard. Not just anyone can wear the Flamengo jersey and win like we did. Flamengo is no joke. Here, things are serious. That's why we won everything. We didn't play around on the field. There, our only fun was playing the ball well," concluded "João Danado."