In ten years, much has changed in the world, in Brazil, and, of course, at Clube de Regatas do Flamengo. From 2000 to 2009, several events made history: the fall of the Twin Towers, the elections of Lula and Barack Obama, the arrest and execution of Saddam Hussein, the New Crisis, the discovery of the Pre-Salt Oil Reservoir, the Brazilian National Team's fifth championship in 2002, the death of Michael Jackson... But, in Gávea, at the end of the 2000s, there was only one thing everyone was talking about: Mengão's sixth national championship.

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The last decade has been full of achievements and changes for Brazil's Most Beloved. They won six Rio de Janeiro titles, a Champions' Cup, a Brazilian Cup, and a Brazilian Championship in football. On the court, the team won two Rio de Janeiro Futsal Championships and became the biggest Brazilian basketball powerhouse, winning six State Championships, two National Championships, and one South American Championship. The Rubro-Negro also won the Brazilian Women's Volleyball Championship.

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The red and black also reigned supreme in the pool. They won seven Brazilian titles and one South American title in synchronized swimming. The club also won five Rio de Janeiro titles, one Brazilian Trophy, and two José Finkel Trophy titles in swimming. In the sport that spawned them, the Red-Black team was also victorious, winning the Rio de Janeiro Rowing Championship five times. In gymnastics, Diego Hypólito, Danielle Hypólito, and Jade Barbosa increasingly excelled. They won numerous titles in various sports, and Flamengo's official website celebrates, year after year, these 10 memorable years for the club, beginning in 2000.

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2000: The year of "chocolate"

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The first year of this victorious decade for Flamengo was marked by significant achievements in Olympic sports. In Olympic Gymnastics, Flamengo won its second Brazilian Adult Women's Championship and the Brazilian Absolute Championship for the twelfth consecutive year. In Synchronized Swimming, Flamengo won its fourth Brazilian Absolute Championship and its fourth State Absolute Championship. The club still wins several youth tournaments, but in professional soccer, the nation only celebrated one title. But it was a significant one.

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In the first game of the season, Flamengo won the São Sebastião Trophy with a 1-0 victory over Fluminense. It seemed like a promising start to the year for a team with promising players on its roster. Julio Cesar, Juan, Fabão, Fabio Baiano, Reinaldo, Petkovic, Lucio, Tuta, Leandro Machado, Iranildo, Rocha, Beto, Mozart, Clemer, Maurinho, and Luis Alberto were some of the members of that squad, which didn't perform well in the Rio-São Paulo tournament (when Adriano, now Emperor, made his professional debut for Flamengo) or in the Brazilian Championship, where it failed to reach the finals.

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The team was also eliminated from the Copa do Brasil, by Palmeiras, and from the Mercosul, by River Plate. However, one title was enough to make that year unforgettable for the red-and-black fans. It came right in the middle of 2000. On June 17, with goals from Reinaldo and Tuta, the Red-and-Blacks defeated Vasco 2-1 and secured their second state championship over their biggest rival. The story of that title, however, began to be written in the Guanabara Cup.

It was Easter Sunday, and Flamengo, fresh off a Rio de Janeiro title against Vasco in 1999, faced its archrival again in the first round of the State Championship. The result, however, wasn't what the Flamengo fans expected. With the inspirational Baixinho Romário, the Vasco fans won the match 5-1 and even taunted the Flamengo fans by chanting "Uh, it's chocolate." Little did they know they were in for a treat.

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Then came the Rio Cup, which Flamengo won, earning the right to play the state championship against Vasco once again. For the second year in a row, the city's most heavily supported teams faced off, battling for the title of Rio's best. And for the second year in a row, Mengão prevailed. And with a special touch. The team, led by eternal idol Carlinhos, comfortably won both matches: 3-0 and 2-1. The sum total? 5-1, no more and no less than the Guanabara Cup match. A custom-made, made-to-order chocolate that went down in history.

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Time of Year: Winning the 2000 Carioca Championship
Character of the Year: Athirson
Game of the Year: Flamengo 3 x 0 Vasco, first game of the State Championship final
Top Scorer of the Year: Petkovic, with 28 goals

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To check out all of Flamengo's games in 2000, click here.
For more information about this year, visit this article on Flapedia.