It has been 4.826 days since he last stepped onto the pitch wearing the red-and-black jersey. Exactly 13 years, two months and 19 days since, on that December 19, 2004, Julio Cesar wore the Sacred Mantle at the Raulino de Oliveira stadium, in Volta Redonda, to play his last match for Flamengo. This Wednesday (7), however, the number 12 will play his 285th game for Mais Querido, beginning the end of a great career.

At 17, the young man, grown and raised within Flamengo, stepped onto the field for the first time. Replacing Zé Carlos, his declared idol, Julio appeared in the professional squad in a Copa do Brasil semifinal on August 13, 1997. At the old Parque Antártica, the Rubro-Negro won 1-0, and he turned heads.

In his first match as a starter, Julio Cesar also suffered his first defeat. At the Maracanã stadium, the Gávea club was losing 2-0 to Fluminense in a 1997 Rio de Janeiro State Championship match. The match, however, showcased a powerful side of the goalkeeper, who saved a penalty for the Tricolor.

After that day, the goalkeeper of the "Mais Querido" spent seven years between the posts, performing miracles that are remembered to this day. Defending the colors of Mengo, he recorded 122 wins, 70 draws, and 92 losses, making him the third-most capped goalkeeper in Flamengo's history. He also lifted five titles: three Campeonato Carioca titles, a Copa dos Campeões, and a Mercosul title.

Julio may never have faced Boavista before, but he's familiar with the stadium that will host his reunion with his red-and-black history. In eleven matches, he has five wins, three losses, and three draws. As fate would have it, the beginning of his farewell match would take place on the same pitch as his last match wearing the Manto, in 2004, in the 6-2 rout of Cruzeiro in the final round of the competition, at the Raulino de Oliveira stadium, where the goalkeeper will once again face the nation. 

Welcome back, Julio.