Former coach and former player participated in 880 professional games for Flamengo. Carlinhos: 70 years well lived (Credit: Art based on photo by Fred Gomes)

Fred Gomes

“Happy Birthday to You” is the melody to be played today by Violino, who is celebrating his 70th birthday, most of which he has dedicated to Flamengo, the club for which he played 880 matches (517 as a player and 313 as a coach) as a professional.

"Seventy years is a cool number. I'm going to celebrate sitting down, cheering for Flamengo. Let's go, Mengão!" shouts the red-and-black Carlinhos.

Luis Carlos Nunes da Silva played for the Rubro-Negro professional team between 1958 and 1969, winning six titles. Nicknamed "Violino" (Violin) for his virtuoso play, the idol fondly remembers the Rio de Janeiro titles he won as a player in 1963 and 1965.

As a coach, Carlinhos, who had seven spells at the club and is the most successful at Gávea - with seven, alongside Flávio Costa, has a special fondness for the 1987 Brazilian Championship.

"It was unforgettable! You're thrilled, also because of the difficulties you encountered along the way," he enthuses, adding: "There's no such thing as trying to take that title away from us. There's no point in taking on a Second Division team."

Regarding the 1992 fifth title, Carlinhos classifies it as something homemade:

"We earned that title at home. I'm a homegrown talent, I've been through all the categories," he emphasizes.