Zico chats with fans live on Twitter
Galinho answers questions sent by fans on social media
By Communication - Official Club Website - in
On Tuesday night (01.04), the eternal number 10 of Gávea participated in a live chat with his fans. Galinho answered questions sent by his admirers via Twitter, with an online video broadcast, on Flamengo's social media profileZico spoke about his career with Rubro-Negro, the current football landscape, the tributes he received on his birthday in early March, and even the recent racist demonstrations on the pitch.
Before the conversation began, Galinho was presented with the statistics for the #ParabensZico campaign, a partnership between Twitter, Zico's press office, Flowics, and Placar Magazine. The campaign received 470 mentions from fans who received autographed photos with a personal dedication from the club's greatest idol. The topic was the most talked about in Brazil for over 24 hours, the third most talked about on Twitter in Japan, and the fifth most trending topic in Turkey for six hours. The campaign's most successful country was Brazil, while the second most successful, surprisingly, was Denmark. Turkey, the US, Spain, and Japan followed.
Flamengo ran a promotion to reward the user who tweeted the most using the hashtag #ParabensZico. Leandro Ribeiro, from Manaus, won with 31 tweets and earned the right to meet Zico before the interview. He couldn't attend, but he won a personalized jersey, autographed by the idol, live on Twitter. Roberta, Wesley Artur, Danillo, and Allice were the other winners, in second, third, fourth, and fifth place, who also received autographed jerseys. Other #ParabensZico promotions rewarded the author of the most retweeted tweet: Wellyson Raul Marins, who won a ticket to the match against León at Maracanã.
When asked about the importance of the Nation outside of Rio, Galinho recalled the greatness of the Flamengo fans throughout the country. "People who stay in Rio don't realize the magnitude of Flamengo's presence in Brazil. Flamengo's fans are nationwide, worldwide. It's the first team to be supported by fans from Manaus and Brasília. When we bring players there, we're valuing the people who support Flamengo in those places," he added.
During the conversation, he spoke of the emotion of being alongside great idols from the Mais Querido's past, in the tribute paid to the former Rubro-Negro players celebrating their birthdays on March 1st, at the Maracanã, before the match between Flamengo and Nova Iguaçu in the Campeonato Carioca. "It was great to be with these guys. I remember my father talking about Esquerdinha. This work of the club is very important," he praised, before going on to talk about the tribute to him, paid by Imperatriz Leopoldinense, during the 2014 Carnival. Among the memories is the first jersey he wore before becoming a Mais Querido athlete. "The school's first car, América, was a tribute to the club, which was the first jersey I and all my brothers wore. My first favorite team is Flamengo. Old Antunes wouldn't leave a gap for anyone," he joked.
Racism and memories of his playing days
One of the most memorable moments in Flamengo's history was Rondinelli's header in 1978. "I was going to take the corner kick and Tchê, the Uruguayan photographer who did all the barbecues at our championship parties, passed me the ball and said, 'Go on, hit it quickly.' I hit it, the ball reached Rondinelli, and he headed it into the goal. I must say that I get more goosebumps from that goal of his than from many of my goals," said the eternal number 10.
Galinho also shared his thoughts on the recent racist demonstrations that have been tarnishing football. "Severe punishments must be applied. Punishing the wallet is the best thing. I suffered this with my team in Russia, CSKA. We were playing a final, and there was a player on my Niger team. The opposing fans started making gestures and noises at him. Halfway through the match, he started arguing with the fans, and at halftime, he came to tell me he was no longer fit to play. I sent a letter to (UEFA President) Michel Platini saying I expected a severe punishment, and he responded by saying he couldn't interfere, that it was a personal matter. The punishment in court was very low, and that's how it was. It can't be. If it hurts the club's wallet, they'll indoctrinate their fans to avoid repeating it."
Zico also revealed who his greatest role models were throughout his career. "Dida was always my biggest idol. He was Flamengo's number 10 and the idol of my entire family. One of the first words I said, after 'dad' and 'mom,' was Dida. This idolatry was so great that when Dida went to Portuguesa, I would go to his games to watch him. After that, my greatest role models were my brothers. I would stand behind the goal, learning, and I think I learned well. Thanks to them, I continued playing football," he said.
One of the dream matchups for British sports fans would be Flamengo in 81 against Barcelona today. Zico was categorical about the result: "Flamengo in 81 against Barcelona would be 4-2 for Flamengo. Messi and Neymar would score theirs, but Flamengo's four would be no problem. I would definitely score one," he joked.
Before the conversation began, Galinho was presented with the statistics for the #ParabensZico campaign, a partnership between Twitter, Zico's press office, Flowics, and Placar Magazine. The campaign received 470 mentions from fans who received autographed photos with a personal dedication from the club's greatest idol. The topic was the most talked about in Brazil for over 24 hours, the third most talked about on Twitter in Japan, and the fifth most trending topic in Turkey for six hours. The campaign's most successful country was Brazil, while the second most successful, surprisingly, was Denmark. Turkey, the US, Spain, and Japan followed.
Flamengo ran a promotion to reward the user who tweeted the most using the hashtag #ParabensZico. Leandro Ribeiro, from Manaus, won with 31 tweets and earned the right to meet Zico before the interview. He couldn't attend, but he won a personalized jersey, autographed by the idol, live on Twitter. Roberta, Wesley Artur, Danillo, and Allice were the other winners, in second, third, fourth, and fifth place, who also received autographed jerseys. Other #ParabensZico promotions rewarded the author of the most retweeted tweet: Wellyson Raul Marins, who won a ticket to the match against León at Maracanã.
When asked about the importance of the Nation outside of Rio, Galinho recalled the greatness of the Flamengo fans throughout the country. "People who stay in Rio don't realize the magnitude of Flamengo's presence in Brazil. Flamengo's fans are nationwide, worldwide. It's the first team to be supported by fans from Manaus and Brasília. When we bring players there, we're valuing the people who support Flamengo in those places," he added.
During the conversation, he spoke of the emotion of being alongside great idols from the Mais Querido's past, in the tribute paid to the former Rubro-Negro players celebrating their birthdays on March 1st, at the Maracanã, before the match between Flamengo and Nova Iguaçu in the Campeonato Carioca. "It was great to be with these guys. I remember my father talking about Esquerdinha. This work of the club is very important," he praised, before going on to talk about the tribute to him, paid by Imperatriz Leopoldinense, during the 2014 Carnival. Among the memories is the first jersey he wore before becoming a Mais Querido athlete. "The school's first car, América, was a tribute to the club, which was the first jersey I and all my brothers wore. My first favorite team is Flamengo. Old Antunes wouldn't leave a gap for anyone," he joked.
Racism and memories of his playing days
One of the most memorable moments in Flamengo's history was Rondinelli's header in 1978. "I was going to take the corner kick and Tchê, the Uruguayan photographer who did all the barbecues at our championship parties, passed me the ball and said, 'Go on, hit it quickly.' I hit it, the ball reached Rondinelli, and he headed it into the goal. I must say that I get more goosebumps from that goal of his than from many of my goals," said the eternal number 10.
Galinho also shared his thoughts on the recent racist demonstrations that have been tarnishing football. "Severe punishments must be applied. Punishing the wallet is the best thing. I suffered this with my team in Russia, CSKA. We were playing a final, and there was a player on my Niger team. The opposing fans started making gestures and noises at him. Halfway through the match, he started arguing with the fans, and at halftime, he came to tell me he was no longer fit to play. I sent a letter to (UEFA President) Michel Platini saying I expected a severe punishment, and he responded by saying he couldn't interfere, that it was a personal matter. The punishment in court was very low, and that's how it was. It can't be. If it hurts the club's wallet, they'll indoctrinate their fans to avoid repeating it."
Zico also revealed who his greatest role models were throughout his career. "Dida was always my biggest idol. He was Flamengo's number 10 and the idol of my entire family. One of the first words I said, after 'dad' and 'mom,' was Dida. This idolatry was so great that when Dida went to Portuguesa, I would go to his games to watch him. After that, my greatest role models were my brothers. I would stand behind the goal, learning, and I think I learned well. Thanks to them, I continued playing football," he said.
One of the dream matchups for British sports fans would be Flamengo in 81 against Barcelona today. Zico was categorical about the result: "Flamengo in 81 against Barcelona would be 4-2 for Flamengo. Messi and Neymar would score theirs, but Flamengo's four would be no problem. I would definitely score one," he joked.