Today is Christmas for Flamengo fans. Arthur Antunes Coimbra, known as Zico, turns 61 this Monday (March 03.03). Born in Quintino, Rio de Janeiro, he joined Flamengo in 1967 at the age of 14, brought to him by radio host Celso Garcia. "Galinho" played for the club from 1971 to 1983 and returned in 1985, staying until 1989. The eternal number 10 from Gávea is the second most-capped player for the Sacred Mantle, with 732 appearances, behind only Maestro Júnior, with 875. With 508 goals, scored in dozens of titles won, he is the club's all-time top scorer. Runner-up Dida, who played from 1954 to 1963, scored 264: just over half. Zico surpassed Dida in 1979, when he was still 26. He is also the all-time top scorer at Maracanã, with 333 goals, 301 of which were for Flamengo. He also holds the record for most goals in a single match at Maracanã: he scored six goals in the 7-1 rout of Goytacaz in the 1979 Carioca (Special) Championship.

Since noon on Sunday (March 02.03), Gávea's eternal number 10 has been receiving congratulations from his admirers on Twitter, while fans receive an autographed photo of the Galinho, with a personal dedication. Anyone who wants to participate in the action or collect more photos just needs to send a message on Twitter, mentioning #ParabensZico. Fans can also follow the celebration online on the website. www.flamengo.com.br/parabenszico.

Scoring goals was undoubtedly one of the midfielder's greatest strengths, and he wasn't limited to just playing waiter for the attackers and taking excellent free kicks. He scored both goals in the Copa Libertadores title, a 2-0 victory over Cobreloa of Chile. Zico didn't score in the 1981 World Cup final, but he had a hand in all three goals in the 3-0 victory over Liverpool. He provided the assists for both Nunes goals and took the free kick that resulted in Adílio's goal, who tapped in the rebound. Zico was the top scorer in the 1981 Copa Libertadores, with 11 goals, in the 1980 (21 goals) and 1982 (21 goals) Brazilian Championships, also won by Mais Querido, in addition to the Carioca Championships of 1975 (30 goals), 1977 (27), 1978 (19), 1979 (34), 1979 (26) and 1982 (21). With so many goals, Zico holds the record for goals in a single season for the red-black club: in 1979 he scored 81 goals. Galinho was also the only player in the club's history to play in more than one World Cup as a Flamengo athlete, going to the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups. 

The complete list of titles is extensive, led by the Club World Cup that Zico went to win. Galinho won the 1981 Copa Libertadores, four Brazilian Championships (1980, 1982, 1983 and 1987), seven Carioca Championships (1972, 1974, 1978, 1979-Special, 1979-State, 1981 and 1986), nine Guanabara Cups (1972, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1988 and 1989), two Rio Cups (1978 and 1986), the 1st round of the 1979 Carioca Special Championship, the 2nd round of the 1979 Carioca Special and State Championships, four third rounds of the Carioca Championship (1974, 1979, 1981 and 1987), two Ramón de Carranza/ESP Trophies (1979 and 1980), a Santander City Tournament/ESP (1980), a Naples International Tournament/IA (1981), a Kirin Cup/JAP (1988), a Colombino Tournament/ESP (1988), a Hamburg International Tournament/ALE, a Quadrangular Tournament of Goiás (1975), one of Jundiaí/SP (1975) and another of Brasília (1976), in addition to the Quadrangular Tournament of Cuiabá (1976).

Between 1980 and 1983, Flamengo won the Brazilian Championship three times: in 1980, 1982, and 1983. Zico was the top scorer in the 1980 and 1982 championships, both with 21 goals, and also scored 17 goals in the 1983 campaign. In all of Flamengo's Brazilian Championship victories, Zico scored goals in final matches: one in the 1980 grand final, in Flamengo's 3-2 victory over Atlético-MG at the Maracanã; another in the penultimate minute of the first leg of the 82 final, in Flamengo's 1-0 victory over Grêmio; and another in the first minute of the game in the 83 Brazilian Championship final, when Flamengo beat Santos 3-0 at the Maracanã.

A champion and top scorer in all of Flamengo's youth teams, Zico made his professional debut in 1971, at the age of 17, with a 2-1 victory over Vasco in the Guanabara Cup on July 29. His first professional goal came in 1971, in a 1-1 draw against Bahia in the Brazilian Championship on August 11. His first title as a starter, inheriting Doval's number 10 jersey, was the 1974 Campeonato Carioca; from that year until 1989, when he ended his career at Flamengo, went down in history as the Zico Era.