The Fla-Flu derby is one of the most famous in the world. Everyone knows that. But it wasn't just during the games and the 90 minutes of each of the 405 pages of history that the legend became myth. The Fla-Flu "started 40 minutes before nothing," the Fla-Flu is in the Flamengo anthem, and the Fla-Flu created division among the fans at Maracanã. 

There are many stories. Below, we'll list 10 reasons why the Fla-Flu match is a gigantic global classic, watched and respected by all fans. Don't worry if the list leans slightly toward us...

"Two bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same time." On December 15, 1963, this law didn't apply. Two bodies, three, four... or rather, 194 bodies filled the Maracanã stadium. Even the ghosts who had lived there since 1950 were cramped. It was the Carioca final, and that day the record for the largest attendance in history for a match between clubs was set. The only place without fans was the field, where Mengão held on to a 0-0 draw with Tricolor and emerged state champion. Even Tricolor fan Nelson Rodrigues surrendered, writing in the following day's O Globo, "Nothing is more beautiful than the euphoria of the Flamengo crowd."



02) King of the River
 
They were born first and dominated Rio de Janeiro soccer for years. But when the Red-Black Mantle began to grace the Rio de Janeiro fields, things began to change. Mengão's first title was in 1914, when they already had five. We kept going, and in 1925, we reached our fifth trophy. They had accumulated nine. Year after year, the lead remained, until it rose to 27-21 in 1985. From then on, it was pure joy. We won two-to-one and tied at 30 in 2008. The following year, Botafogo fans relied on the Tricolor fans, but there was no way. In the year of the Hexa, we took the lead. With the lead taken, time to add weight. In 2017, against them, we won our 34th, against 31. The hegemony is ours.



03) The one who controls these statistics is the Vulture

Flamengo has a win advantage over all its rivals in Rio de Janeiro. Against Fluminense, it's no different. And against them, the advantage came early. The first game was won by Fluminense. The second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth—all of them went to Mengão. From then on, it was just a matter of maintaining the lead, reaching today's 147 wins, against 126 losses and 132 draws. 



04) The day of punishment.

The 1982 Guanabara Cup derby promised to be evenly matched. It was nothing short of promising. Thirty minutes in, it was already 30-3, and only Flamengo was playing. Zico was running the show. Vitor, Andrade, and Marinho caused the falls and the technical knockout. That's when a Tricolor fan left the general area and went onto the field. But instead of protesting or causing trouble, he approached Zico and begged for mercy. The King treated the human with nobility and walked away. Coincidence or not, the score remained the same. And was there any need for more?

05) "Here they come again."

In 1945, there was only one half of the Fla-Flu match. In the first forty-five minutes of the classic at São Januário, Pirilo opened the scoring in the first half, and, incredibly, that was it. In the final 45 minutes, Flamengo showed no mercy. Pirilo extended the lead, Adilson added the third, Tião scored the fourth and fifth, and Pirilo added two more. Flamengo scored seven that day. 



06) The goalkeeper said "Oh, Jesus" when they arrived

Be careful when mentioning these names around a Tricolor fan. They're afraid. There are plenty of classic scorers in history, and they've scored plenty of goals, too. Zico, of course, leads the way with 19 goals. Pirilo is right behind with 18, noting that he scored four in that 7-0 victory. Riemer scored the first title-winning goal (2-1 over... FLUMINENSE) and then added 12 more, tying himself with Leônidas da Silva, one of the greatest strikers the world has ever had the pleasure of watching play football. Perácio is right behind with 12, and Dida, Zico's idol, rounds out the starting list with 11. In the current squad, Willian Arão and Guerrero have each scored four goals for Fluminense. Everton has three, and Diego has two. Is the list good?

07) The King's Farewell.

Football is like that. Zico shone all over the world. Against Fluminense, his favorite stadium was always the Maracanã. But his final official appearance with the Sacred Mantle took place far from home. The Juiz de Fora Municipal Stadium welcomed the Flamengo's greatest star for his final match against Fluminense, in the 1989 Brazilian Championship. Around 13 people paid for tickets that Saturday, December 02nd. And they didn't regret it. In the 22nd minute, Zico scored his final goal. A masterful free kick into the left corner of goalkeeper Ricardo Pinto's net, who jumped just to be in the photo. Flamengo would score four more that afternoon, but the first goal was the most important, the most remembered, the most talked about. Because it was precisely the last.



08) The Impregnable Bastille

Flamengo's longest unbeaten streak against Fluminense dates back to 11 games, from 1912 to 1916. Today, we're nine games ahead. That's a significant advantage in recent games. And it's not just a single advantage. In the meantime, they've won a state title and reached the quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL South American Cup. And this Saturday's game also reflects their unbeaten streak in the state championship, achieved in 2017 and maintained so far in 2018. Losing never counts, but this Saturday, even less so!

09) When even the ball wants to see Flamengo win, there is no way.

In the 2001 Guanabara Cup final, Almeida's Supernatural (another creation of the brilliant Nelson Rodrigues) lost yet another battle against São Judas Tadeu, and Mengão celebrated. The match ended in a 1-1 draw and went to penalties. Flamengo was leading the match 3-2 when Cássio took the penalty. He took it to Murilo. Cássio hit it from mid-height, almost in the middle of the goal. Murilo saved it and went off to celebrate. But the ball, that day, wanted to go in, and bounced back into the net. The celebration changed sides, and Flamengo went on to win the Guanabara Cup. Don't argue with the power of the Mantle. 



10) And where did the term Fla-Flu come from?

Let's go back to 1925. That year, the Rio de Janeiro team had to be called up quickly for the Brazilian State Team Championship. It was difficult to select players, so the decision was made to select only players from Flamengo and Fluminense. Naturally, there were complaints. But because the team was so good, it quickly gained traction, and fans themselves began referring to the squad as the "Combined Fla-Flu." And it worked, as the mixed team won the championship. Soon after, journalist Mario Filho took the name and transformed it into the acronym for the classic, which became known worldwide.