Honored with statue, Zico chooses the most beautiful goal at Maraca
Galinho describes a memorable move against Grêmio and believes it will be difficult for anyone to surpass his goalscoring record at the stadium.
By Thiago Lavinas - GloboEsporte.Com - inZico is honored with a statue in his honor, which will be unveiled this Saturday at 19 p.m. at the Maracanã Hall of Fame. The work, designed by set designer Abel Gomes, will feature Flamengo's greatest idol performing a volley—giving the impression that the former player is airborne. The event will be closed to the public, and the public will only be able to see the statue for the first time on Sunday the 27th, before the All-Star Game hosted by the Galinho.
The idea came about after a campaign launched in 2007 by red-black fans, which gathered 25 thousand signatures.
"It's a huge thrill. I've played some great games at Maracanã, which is my home ground. Since I've always treated the fans of other clubs with great respect, I don't think there will be any problems. It will be a great honor for me."
\Zico is the stadium's all-time top scorer, with 333 goals. The most beautiful of these, however, is not immortalized. It was in 1974, in a match against Grêmio, which Flamengo won 1-0 in the Brazilian Championship.
\"There are no images, and I already looked for them. My mother was at the stadium. It was emotional. It's a shame I don't have it recorded. It's a shame no one recorded it. It was my most beautiful goal at Maracanã. I always joke about that goal with Vanderlei Luxemburgo, saying it's a reminder of his ability to play football," says Zico, who took the opportunity to describe the play. "Vanderlei crossed, and I ran in to take a first-time shot. It was one of those shots where you can put the ball on the scoreboard if you miss. But it was right on target."
\Without false modesty, Flamengo's eternal number 10 believes it would be difficult for a player to break his goalscoring record at the stadium.
\- It's complicated, first because nowadays a player doesn't stay here in Brazil for as long as we used to. If an Adriano stayed in Rio de Janeiro for ten years and played more at Maracanã, I think he'd even surpass that. A Romário, a Túlio (Maravilha)... But now, with the state of football, I think it's difficult.