Décio Paiva, 18, has no doubts. His greatest thrill last weekend was walking through the tunnel that leads to the Maracanã pitch and setting foot on one of world football's legendary stages, moments before Flamengo's victory over Sport. Paiva, from Piraúba, Minas Gerais, was one of four winners of the "Emperor for a Day" contest, an initiative that launched Flamengo's Cidadão Rubro-Negro (Red-Black Citizen) loyalty program.

"When you enter the Maracanã, you have to hold back tears. It's so emotional," the fan said over the phone in an interview with the club's official website. Another emotional moment for Décio was meeting his idol Petkovic at the Windsor Hotel, where the Rio de Janeiro soccer delegation is based. "I've always been a fan of his. He's the one who made me a Flamengo fan with that goal against Vasco," he explained.

According to the fan, Adriano was very welcoming to the four winners during dinner—an exclusive prize for the winners of the competition. "I was already a fan when he played for Inter Milan. He welcomed us very warmly. He's a very sincere, humble, and playful person. He told us about his life and was interested in asking about ours. He made us feel at ease," says Décio Paiva.

Upon returning to Piraúba, 80 km from Juiz de Fora, the student was met by his family at the bus station in the town, which has an estimated population of 10.000. "The organization is to be congratulated," he praised.

Ítalo Ricardo, from Palmas, Tocantins, is another winner who chose stepping into the Maracanã as his greatest thrill. The 27-year-old agricultural engineer will never forget it. "What made me tremble was stepping into the Maracanã, the stage of so many glories and achievements."

He arrived in Palmas on Monday and was expected for an interview by a local TV Globo news crew. According to him, his friends initially didn't believe he'd won. They said it was a prank. Then, everyone started asking how to participate in the Cidadão Rubro-Negro (Red-Black Citizen). "It was what was missing in Brazilian football. It shortened the distance between the club and the fans. It's a way to interact with the club and other fans."

Eugênio Cunha Guedes, from Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte, and Joabes Cardoso Andrade Netto, from Palmas, Tocantins, were the other "emperors for a day." They all arrived in Rio on Friday and stayed at the Windsor Barra Hotel. On Saturday, they had lunch with the team and coaching staff, stopped in Gávea to visit the club's headquarters, and then continued on to Maracanã Stadium. There, they enjoyed two privileges. They walked onto the field moments before the Flamengo-Sport match, along with the official mascots Uruba and Urubinha; and climbed up to the stadium's grandstand, where they watched the 3-0 victory in the company of Adílio, an idol of the great team that won the 1981 World Cup.

After a quick visit to the team's locker room, the winners ended an unforgettable Saturday with dinner with striker Adriano, the Emperor of Flamengo, and muses Nathalie Conti (who represented Flamengo in the GloboEsporte.com contest) and Priscila, star of the last Big Brother Brasil.

In addition to the four "emperors", the promotion will deliver 36 shirts, autographed by striker Adriano.

The promotion concluded the first phase of the Program and attracted nearly one hundred thousand "citizens" from all states. In addition to competing for prizes, they are now registered for the second phase, which offers the entire structure, exclusive prizes, advantages, benefits, and the opportunity to participate in the largest red-and-black social network.

In this new phase, citizens must choose the category they want to participate in the program. Only the Red-Black Citizen program offers advantages and benefits even to fans who pay nothing per month. The Red-Black Citizen program offers three participation categories: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

The program awards points to participants every time they participate in activities through the website, interacting with other fans, the club, and promotions offered on the website itself. Points are the currency of the Red-Black Nation: the Flamengos.

More information

www.cidadaorubronegro.com.br