Solidarity. This is the key word behind the campaign Flamengo is launching to help one of the greatest goalkeepers in its history, José Carlos da Costa Araújo, known as Zé Carlos. At 47, the former goalkeeper has cancer. His health is going through an extremely delicate period.

The club created a website called "Força Zé Carlos" (Force Zé Carlos) to mobilize fans, friends, and interested parties. The goal is to help Zé Carlos and his family with his treatment. The campaign aims not only to raise funds but also to gather words of support and solidarity from friends, colleagues, and admirers.

Known to his friends and fans as Zé Grandão, the former goalkeeper signed a letter authorizing the club to undertake this campaign. According to the letter, deposits made by friends and fans must be made directly to the savings account number 5947-9, branch 2905, at Caixa Econômica Federal, owned by Davi de Abreu Fraga Araújo, the player's son. The funds will be managed by Zé Carlos or his authorized representatives.

More than just financial support, the website highlights Zé Carlos's importance to the club's history. With him as goalkeeper, the club won its fourth Brazilian championship in 1987, its first Brazilian Cup (1990), and the state championships in 1986 and 1996.

The website features testimonials from Zé Carlos' teammates in professional football and on Flamengo's Masters team, including Junior, Nunes, and Renato Gaúcho. This section will be updated frequently as more messages from friends arrive. It also features 10 significant moments in the goalkeeper's career, having represented the club in two periods (from 1984 to 1991 and from 1996 to 1997), totaling 352 matches.

Fans can interact through a Twitter account (https://twitter.com/ZeCarlos_Mengao) created especially for the campaign. They can also send messages of solidarity, which will be delivered to the family. The form is available on the website.

Much of the content was produced specifically for the website by fans dedicated to researching the club's history. Mauricio Neves, creator of the Manto Sagrado website, wrote a column, while Adriano Melo, who writes a column on the FlamengoNET Blog, wrote a detailed article about the athlete's career.

The website also features a complete list of Zé Carlos's games for Flamengo, provided by another researcher, Arturo Vaz, author of the book "Goleiros Rubro-Negros. Heróis Esquecidos de uma Nação" (Red-Black Goalkeepers. Forgotten Heroes of a Nation). It also provides an authorized link to the INCA website, so the general public can learn more about cancer at the country's leading center on the subject.

The initiative is from the Marketing department of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, with support from Jornal dos Sports, which provided the photos.

More information: http://mkt.flamengo.com.br/hotsite/zecarlos/