It's no surprise that Flamengo has the largest and most passionate fan base in the country. A sporting and cultural phenomenon that transcends geographic boundaries and touches millions of hearts across Brazil. In the week that the "Most Beloved" becomes the first club to reach the milestone of 1500 matches played in the Brazilian Championship in the Modern Era (since 1971), learn all about the red-and-blacks' travels across the country.

Flamengo has played in 105 stadiums in 60 different cities. By far, Maracanã has hosted the vast majority of Flamengo's matches: the match against Atlético-GO, on July 30th, will be the 07th at the Temple of Football. Following this, other historic venues in Brazilian football: Morumbi (637 games), Mineirão (57), Engenhão (52) and Beira-Rio (49) complete the Top 35. Rubro-Negro also has significant presence at Raulino de Oliveira (5 games), Luso-Brasileiro (34), Fonte Nova (33), Pacaembu (31) and Mané Garrincha (28).

By the same token, it's no surprise that Rio de Janeiro is the city that has hosted the most matches for the red-and-blacks. The match against Atlético-GO will be the 735th in the Marvelous City. The Southeast region dominates the Top 5: São Paulo is second, with 127 matches; Porto Alegre (68), Belo Horizonte (62), and Curitiba (61) follow. The Top 10 is rounded out by Salvador (48), Recife (43), Volta Redonda (34), Campinas (30), and Goiânia (30).

Mengão has already played in every state in the federation, again with a large advantage over Rio de Janeiro: Saturday's match will be the 784th in the state. São Paulo comes next, with 207 matches played on the other side of the Dutra. Minas Gerais has already hosted 84 games, Rio Grande do Sul 83, and Paraná 64. Next come Bahia (49), Pernambuco (44), Santa Catarina (38), the Federal District (35), Goiás (31), Ceará (21), Espírito Santo (11), Pará (10), Rio Grande do Norte (8), Amazonas (7), Mato Grosso (5), and Sergipe (5). Completing the list are Maranhão (3), Mato Grosso do Sul (3), Piauí (3), Alagoas (3), and Paraíba (2).

The Sacred Mantle has been worn by 704 athletes throughout its history. The player who represented Flamengo the most in the Brasileirão was Léo Moura, with 314 appearances. Icons of the 80s generation, Júnior (265) and Zico (249) complete the Top 3. In fourth place is Willian Arão, with 201 appearances, followed by Adílio, who, in 181 appearances, lifted four trophies and even scored a great goal in the 1983 final. The Top 10 also includes Ronaldo Angelim (171), Everton Ribeiro (170), Zinho (165), Renato Abreu (164) and Andrade (161).

This rich history has seen plenty of nets scored: the Mais Querido (Flamengo's Favorite) had scored 2103 goals up to their 1499th game. And Flamengo's top scorer in the Brasileirão could be none other than Arthur Antunes Coimbra, known as King Zico, who forced opponents to score 135 goals. Next up, contemporary history: Gabi, with 56 goals, and Bruno Henrique, with 42, complete the podium. Bebeto (41), Renato Abreu (40), Romário (37), Nunes (32), Petkovic (31), Tita (29), and Léo Moura (29) are other great names who have made their mark.

Santos is the club we've played against the most: 73 matches so far, 643 wins in total. Check out the 10 biggest defeats handed out by the Mais Querido below:

Flamengo 8x0 Fortaleza - Maracanã (04/02/1981)

Flamengo 8x1 Sampaio Corrêa – Maracanã (16/09/1976)

Flamengo 7x1 Rio Negro – Maracanã (19/02/1983)

Flamengo 7x0 Santa Cruz – Maracanã (13/03/1985)

Flamengo 6x0 Bahia – Maracanã (07/08/2003)

Flamengo 6x0 Paysandu – Teixeira de Castro (17/07/1974)

Flamengo 6x0 Fluminense-BA – Princess Jewel (26/10/1977)

Flamengo 6x1 Goiás – Maracanã (14/07/2019)

Flamengo 6x1 Botafogo – Maracanã (24/03/1985)

Flamengo 6x1 Avaí – Maracanã (05/12/2019)

Read more:

The hundreds: remember Fla's milestones on the road to 1500

Fifteen memories of the 1500s: remember Flamengo's remarkable moments in the Brasileirão