Flamengo Football
They thought football was for the elite. So, it's the people's club? #it'sdifferenthere
By Flamengo Communication - in
In the first decade of the last century, rowing began to share popular preference with football, and Flamengo was destined to play a leading role in this new national passion.
It was very common for rowers to also play soccer, and vice versa. Until then, rowing was seen as a men's sport (strong, resilient, almost a warlike instrument) and soccer, an activity for those who simply chased a ball.
In 1911, Flamengo rower Alberto Borgerth, who also played soccer for another club, decided to take up the sport at Flamengo. Borgerth, a star player and team captain, had an internal disagreement within his then-soccer club, and so he decided to leave along with other players and proposed creating a soccer section at Flamengo.
There were those who resisted the idea because soccer was seen as an elite sport. But that's not the case at the people's club. Soon, soccer was approved, and on November 8th of that year, the "Flamengo Land Sports Section" was founded.
Believe it or not, the world's biggest club began its football history without even having a training pitch—and that was a good thing! The first touches of the ball took place at Russel Beach, which contributed to its rapid rise in popularity among football fans and encouraged Flamengo fans at regattas to also support their new sport.
Most of their rivals had training facilities, and there, surrounded by people and playing in the streets, Flamengo took its first touches of the ball. The red-and-black team attracted the attention of passersby and thus experienced the team's daily life.
On May 3, 1912, the first match finally took place, a resounding 15-2 victory over Mangueira, at América Stadium. Gustavo de Carvalho scored the club's first goal. The red-and-black lineup for that match was Baena, Píndaro, and Nery; Coriol, Gilberto, and Gallo; Bahiano, Arnaldo, Amarante, Gustavo, and, of course, Borgerth.
It wasn't long before we became champions on land as well as at sea. In 1914, Flamengo won the first of its 35 Campeonato Carioca titles. The victory came with a round to spare, after a 2-1 victory over Fluminense. Riemer scored the winning goal.
Two years later, in 1916, Flamengo began playing its games at its own stadium on Paissandu Street in the Flamengo neighborhood, on land it had rented from the Guinle family, owners of the Copacabana Palace at the time. Note: it was a stadium, not a stadium! Playing on a street field allowed people of all genders and classes to watch the club's football, further increasing its already growing popularity.
The first football jersey was the "papagaio vintém," a red and black checkered uniform. In 1914, Flamengo began wearing the "coral snake" uniform. This had red and black horizontal stripes, interspersed with thinner white stripes. The uniform officially became solely red and black horizontal stripes after its debut with a 3-1 victory over São Bento de São Paulo in 1916.
And the white jersey? Reports suggest the white jersey arose from the need to see the players at night or at dusk. Who would have thought the World Cup would be ours in that original white-red-black Adidas jersey?
Before conquering the world, Flamengo faced two brutal finals in the Americas, where our spirit and determination were put to the test. One at the Maracanã Stadium and the other at the National Stadium in Santiago, Chile. In fact, in the second leg of the Libertadores final, Mario Soto, a Cobreloa player, incredibly attacked the Flamengo players with rocks!
After two balanced and violent matches, with the purest spirit, Flamengo went into the third game on neutral ground in Uruguay, beating the Chilean team 2-0, with two goals from Zico.
Amidst the celebrations for winning the Copa América, tragedy struck the club. Cláudio Coutinho, former coach, main trainer, and driving force behind the unforgettable Gávea team (which began with Rondinelli's header in 1978), tragically drowned.
With less than 20 days to prepare for the match against the mighty Liverpool, the tragedy became extra fuel for the world conquest. Winning this title was the ultimate tribute for the late former coach.
The commander at that time was Paulo César Carpegiani, a former player who played as a winger for Coutinho on the field, and had already been managing the team since September 1981, being the coach who won the Libertadores with his former teammates and players trained by Coutinho at Gávea.
In Japan for the World Cup final, Flamengo boasted a squad largely formed from the club's youth academy, whose DNA was filled with the grit, love, and passion of Flamengo. Europe's best team, three-time champions of the continent between 1977 and 1981, was truly thrashed by Flamengo in Tokyo.
Liverpool's renowned competitiveness was destroyed within 45 minutes by Flamengo's captivating passing. The fact is that rarely in the history of football has a team played such a perfect match. Zico lifted the World Cup trophy in Tokyo, Japan, proclaiming that there would be no equal in Rio. Now his people want the world again.
