The first day of Rio's Carnival parades at Sapucaí was filled with colors, feathers, and floats, but the red and black of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo were also present. In addition to the numerous shirts in the stands, the club's athletes attended the Group A parade, and a section of the Caprichosos de Pilares school also paid tribute to the Rubro-Negro. With a theme about nostalgia, the club celebrated the "geraldinos of Maracanã."

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Basketball coach Paulo Chupeta paraded for Acadêmicos da Rocinha, as he does every year, and forward Vagner Love went to support his wife, Martha Love, who was one of Estácio de Sá's standout performers. This Monday, Flamengo's number 9 is expected to return to the avenue to see Mocidade, where his sister parades. Despite being a self-confessed fan of the Rio carnival, the "Artilheiro do Amor" (Artilleryman of Love) guarantees he'll take it easy with the game against Botafogo next Wednesday in mind.

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"I'm going to moderate my enjoyment. I like Carnival, but I can't go overboard because we have a quarry on Wednesday," he said.

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Today, Sunday, the main attraction for Flamengo fans at Marquês de Sapucaí will likely be Zico, the "Galinho de Quintino" (Little Rooster from Quintino), a Beija-Flor fan who will parade alongside the board of directors of the Nilópolis school, which is the last to enter the Sambadrome on the first day of the Special Group parades. Flamengo's biggest idol will also parade with União da Ilha, which will open the event on the Samba Runway. Zico's teammate on the field, current coach Andrade, has no problem with his athletes having a little fun.

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"In my time, there were players who paraded in five or six samba schools and no one said anything. There were groups of players coming out like piranhas... Parading is still a physical exercise," he observed.

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According to the press office of Ambev, the organizer of the Brahma VIP area, in addition to Adriano and Vagner Love, five other Flamengo players have confirmed their attendance. Among them is Petkovic, who will also parade at Portela on Monday. Even the captain of the five-time champion, Fábio Luciano, now retired, will also appear on the avenue. Adriano, Vagner Love, David, Toró, Leonardo Moura, and Ronaldo Angelim are also expected to attend the party. But everything, of course, in moderation.

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"Players who leave know they'll be monitored. Sleeping a little later to go to a VIP area is fine. Players never go to bed early anyway. The key is to be careful and not overdo it. But those who hold back won't be deviating from their routine that much. They just have to be careful," said vice president of football Marcos Braz.