The Brasileirão is about to begin. There will be 38 rounds on the road to their seventh national championship. The last trophy came in 2009, and Flamengo is looking to add to its collection. Flamengo opens its campaign against Vitória, in Salvador, on Saturday at 19 pm. Interestingly, it was against the same Bahian team that the team ended last season. Flamengo's debuts are full of history. At the end of this text, you'll find them all listed. We've gathered some facts and interesting facts about Mengão's opening matches in the Brasileirão (since 1971). 

This will be the second time Flamengo and Vitória meet in a Brazilian Championship opener. The first was almost 41 years ago, in 1977, at the Maracanã, with a rout by Mengão. The team performed well, along with Zico and Toninho Baiano, who each scored two goals. Osni rounded out the scoring. The photo below is of Flamengo's starting lineup in 1977. Standing: Rondinelli, Toninho, Dequinha, Junior, Merica, and Cantarelli. Crouching: Osni, Adílio, Claudio Adão, Zico, and Luis Paulo. 

Flamengo has a favorable record in its opening matches during the years it won the championship. In 1980, '82, and '83, it won three times. In '80 and '83, it faced Santos, who ended up facing the "Mais Querido" in the final of this edition as well. In 1980, it won 1-0, with a goal by Zico, at Morumbi Stadium (see below). In 1983, it won 2-0, with goals by Zico and Baltazar, at Maracanã Stadium. In the 1982 match, it defeated São Paulo, and the score was 3-2, with two goals by Zico and one by Andrade, also at Maracanã. Three opening wins, three times Zico crushed his opponents. 

The other three weren't as good. In '87, a 2-0 loss to São Paulo at the Maracanã. In 1992, a 1-1 draw against Bahia at the Fonte Nova stadium, with Gaúcho scoring the red-and-black goal. And in 2009, another 2-0 loss to Cruzeiro at the Mineirão stadium. 

Santos is Flamengo's most frequent opponent in its Brasileirão debut. They faced Santos six times, winning three, drawing two, and losing one: in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1997, 2008, and 2013. In 2008, the victory came behind closed doors, in the competition's opening match. A shame, as the nation saw the Flamengo's stellar performance on TV. Marcinho made it 1-0 in the 29th minute of the first half. A minute later, Kleberson passed to Marcinho, who delivered a beautiful backheel that found Íbson in the box to score the second. You can watch the goal below. Juan scored the third in the second half, sealing Flamengo's victory. 

Of course, he could only be the top scorer in Brasileirão debuts. From 1975 to 1989, Zico scored nine goals in his debuts in the competition. The first was against Sport in August 1975 at the Maracanã. The last was in 1983, against Santos, also at the Maracanã, on January 23. 

21/08/1975 Flamengo 1 X 2 Sport Recife - Maracanã - One goal

01/09/1976 Flamengo 2 X 0 ABC - Maracanã - Two goals

18/10/1977 Flamengo 5 X 0 Vitória - Maracanã - Two goals

24/02/1980 Santos 0 X 1 Flamengo - Morumbi - One goal

20/01/1982 Flamengo 3 X 2 São Paulo - Maracanã - Two goals

23/01/1983 Flamengo 2 X 0 Santos - Maracanã - One goal

In 1982, a great game at the Maracanã. São Paulo took a 2-0 lead and looked like they were going to take home a big win. It seemed like it. In the second half, Zico pulled one back, Andrade equalized, and then there was no way out. The nation cheered from the stands, and Zico, after a precise cross from Junior, turned the game around and guaranteed everyone's joy. Relive it below.

Sixteen years have separated us from our last away win in the Brasileirão debut. The last one was in 2002, against Internacional at Beira Rio, 3-1, with two goals from Liédson and one from Felipe Melo. Since then, there have been four draws and three losses. It's time to win again. Relive Liédson's second goal in the 2002 victory over Internacional below. 

Since 1971, when the championship took on a proper league form, Flamengo has competed in every edition, without exception, in the first division. Only Cruzeiro equals the "Mais Querido" on this list. Santos and São Paulo have also never been relegated; however, both teams withdrew from the 1979 edition and do not have a 100% success rate. In the finals, Flamengo also shines. They have won five finals (in 2009, the format was a round robin format) and five titles. They have never lost a Brazilian Championship final. No other national team has such a record. And judging by the rules, this will be an eternal record. 



7. All premieres

Check out the list of all Flamengo's Brazilian Championship debuts since 1971 below, and get ready for another one. Next Saturday at 19 p.m., live from Barradão, Mengão will take the field against Vitória. On to the seventh title!