The football center will have a huge red-and-black panel by Ziraldo
A distinguished Flamengo fan, the cartoonist accepts the club's invitation to leave his art at Ninho do Urubu
By Isabela Abirached - in
About to turn 84, he calls himself "the oldest Flamengo fan still active" and is the author of books and illustrations on the Flamengo theme. Given this, it's safe to assume that Ziraldo won't find it difficult to create and produce an illustration for a massive panel that will further enhance the George Helal Training Center. The design hasn't been finalized, but one thing is certain, he says: the predominance of red and black. On Tuesday morning (27), president Eduardo Bandeira de Mello and vice presidents of Assets and Information Technology, Alexandre Wrobel and Luiz Filipe Teixeira, extended the invitation on behalf of the club.
Luiz Filipe, a friend of a relative of Ziraldo's, was the one who connected the parties and organized the meeting at the artist's apartment, who once again lends his name to a project supporting the training center. In 2004, during the "I Love Fla" campaign, the proceeds from the shirt designed by the cartoonist helped build the first two fields at Ninho do Urubu. The artist behind Brazil's largest mural, inside the Canecão stadium, Ziraldo readily accepted the mission: "Just score!"
Wrobel spoke about the possible locations for the artwork. "Ziraldo is more than welcome to visit Ninho and create this work, as a tribute and a token of gratitude. We'll be finishing the entire professional soccer area at the training center by the end of the year, and then starting the youth development. And there are countless possibilities in this space; it's huge. It could be at the entrance to the training center, where there's a huge wall, or inside, on the field dividers. There are many options," said the vice president, who revealed the first work already in production for Ninho: a mural by artist Haruyoshi Ono, from the Burle Marx landscaping firm, is being created in glass tile in Maricá and will arrive at the training center ready for installation in a winter garden that will be located between the two buildings of the Training Center. Haruyoshi was a disciple of Roberto Burle Marx and is now the majority shareholder and general director of the company of his mentor, who passed away in 1994.
Of course, a Sacred Mantle could not be left out as a gift for Ziraldo. And when Bandeira de Mello presented the personalized shirt to the artist, he joked that O Camisa Dez also begins with a Z. Ziraldo quickly pointed out the similarity between his signature and Zico's—could he have been an inspiration for Galinho? The fact is, according to him, inspiration only comes from writing.
"I was the clumsiest kid in the world at soccer. When I had to choose between teams, I was left with the goalkeeper," said Ziraldo, who, while lacking with his feet, has a talent for creating beautiful illustrations like the one that graces the cover of the book "Para sempre Flamengo" by Jeferson de Andrade, which was left on the table throughout the conversation.
Ziraldo fan
Before any work-related conversation, like any good Flamengo fan, Ziraldo spoke to those present about the most important subject (in the world): Flamengo's victory. The comeback against Cruzeiro last Sunday (25) reminded him of that 2010 Fla-Flu match, in which the "Mais Querido" (Flamengo) fell behind 3-1 and relied on goals from Kleberson, Adriano, and Vagner Love to secure an improbable 5-3 victory that sent thousands of fans wild, who remained at the Maracanã stadium. Back in 2016, the artist heaped praise on the Flamengo fans of Espírito Santo, who saw Mengão win all seven games at the Kleber Andrade stadium this year, and on the greatness of the nation.
"What an impressive thing, Cariacica... Only sick Flamengo fans. It's like that in Curitiba, Mato Grosso... The red-and-black fans are an impressive thing. Ari Barroso on Rádio Nacional was heard all over Brazil from Rio de Janeiro. And when his harmonica played, everyone knew it was a Flamengo goal. Everyone supports Flamengo. The name is very good, the shirt is beautiful, copied all over Brazil," said Ziraldo, completely right: at least 31 clubs use the name and colors of the Most Beloved, according to a survey by Globoesporte.com in November 2015.
Do you also want to make a difference in the modernization of Flamengo's training center? Fan members have the pride of playing alongside each victory: the money goes to football and brings more reinforcements, new talent, and infrastructure to Ninho do Urubu. Not to mention the advantages in official stores to buy the jersey and wear it with pride! Click and join now.
Luiz Filipe, a friend of a relative of Ziraldo's, was the one who connected the parties and organized the meeting at the artist's apartment, who once again lends his name to a project supporting the training center. In 2004, during the "I Love Fla" campaign, the proceeds from the shirt designed by the cartoonist helped build the first two fields at Ninho do Urubu. The artist behind Brazil's largest mural, inside the Canecão stadium, Ziraldo readily accepted the mission: "Just score!"
Wrobel spoke about the possible locations for the artwork. "Ziraldo is more than welcome to visit Ninho and create this work, as a tribute and a token of gratitude. We'll be finishing the entire professional soccer area at the training center by the end of the year, and then starting the youth development. And there are countless possibilities in this space; it's huge. It could be at the entrance to the training center, where there's a huge wall, or inside, on the field dividers. There are many options," said the vice president, who revealed the first work already in production for Ninho: a mural by artist Haruyoshi Ono, from the Burle Marx landscaping firm, is being created in glass tile in Maricá and will arrive at the training center ready for installation in a winter garden that will be located between the two buildings of the Training Center. Haruyoshi was a disciple of Roberto Burle Marx and is now the majority shareholder and general director of the company of his mentor, who passed away in 1994.
Of course, a Sacred Mantle could not be left out as a gift for Ziraldo. And when Bandeira de Mello presented the personalized shirt to the artist, he joked that O Camisa Dez also begins with a Z. Ziraldo quickly pointed out the similarity between his signature and Zico's—could he have been an inspiration for Galinho? The fact is, according to him, inspiration only comes from writing."I was the clumsiest kid in the world at soccer. When I had to choose between teams, I was left with the goalkeeper," said Ziraldo, who, while lacking with his feet, has a talent for creating beautiful illustrations like the one that graces the cover of the book "Para sempre Flamengo" by Jeferson de Andrade, which was left on the table throughout the conversation.
Ziraldo fan
Before any work-related conversation, like any good Flamengo fan, Ziraldo spoke to those present about the most important subject (in the world): Flamengo's victory. The comeback against Cruzeiro last Sunday (25) reminded him of that 2010 Fla-Flu match, in which the "Mais Querido" (Flamengo) fell behind 3-1 and relied on goals from Kleberson, Adriano, and Vagner Love to secure an improbable 5-3 victory that sent thousands of fans wild, who remained at the Maracanã stadium. Back in 2016, the artist heaped praise on the Flamengo fans of Espírito Santo, who saw Mengão win all seven games at the Kleber Andrade stadium this year, and on the greatness of the nation.
"What an impressive thing, Cariacica... Only sick Flamengo fans. It's like that in Curitiba, Mato Grosso... The red-and-black fans are an impressive thing. Ari Barroso on Rádio Nacional was heard all over Brazil from Rio de Janeiro. And when his harmonica played, everyone knew it was a Flamengo goal. Everyone supports Flamengo. The name is very good, the shirt is beautiful, copied all over Brazil," said Ziraldo, completely right: at least 31 clubs use the name and colors of the Most Beloved, according to a survey by Globoesporte.com in November 2015.
Do you also want to make a difference in the modernization of Flamengo's training center? Fan members have the pride of playing alongside each victory: the money goes to football and brings more reinforcements, new talent, and infrastructure to Ninho do Urubu. Not to mention the advantages in official stores to buy the jersey and wear it with pride! Click and join now.