"There's only one Ronaldo." The phrase, coined by Manchester United to honor last season's world player of the year, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, caused considerable controversy in Brazil. Corinthians fans created versions of the jersey mocking the Portuguese player and praising the striker known as "Phenomenon." Milan fans also remembered Ronaldinho Gaúcho. But for the Red-Black Nation, the real Ronaldo is "Steel-thin," Angelim. The defender, one of the longest-serving players on the six-time champion squad, scored the goal that gave Flamengo the title and celebrated profusely after the match.

Accustomed to saying that nothing makes him happier than a Flamengo victory, the number 4 had an unforgettable night. With a precise header in the 24th minute of the second half, he scored the second goal, the comeback goal, against Grêmio, and brought a packed Maracanã stadium to a frenzy. But for the player's wife, Ricácia, it was nothing new. The night before, she had called her husband and predicted that the player would score in the final. The scene repeated itself, as in 2004, she did the same thing, and Angelim scored the goal that secured Fortaleza's promotion to the Brazilian Série A in the match against Avaí.

"My wife seems to be psychic. I'll never forget this story and the Brazilian title. Usually in a final it's like this: a seemingly unimportant player, like me, scores the winning goal. I hadn't scored in the Brazilian Championship yet, because against Palmeiras they gave Pet an Olympic goal when the ball hit me," Angelim laughed.

At 34, with his usual calm and soft-spoken demeanor, Angelim was humble. Although happy to have scored the winning goal, the defender praised his teammates and assured that the title was deserved by each of them.

"It's the most important goal of my life. But I wasn't the only one who helped. The whole group became part of Flamengo's history, because they fought so hard," he explained.

At Gávea since 2006, Angelim has experienced many things at Flamengo. He's a three-time Rio de Janeiro champion and a Copa do Brasil champion, but he also suffered two early eliminations from the Copa Libertadores and was part of a disappointing campaign at the end of last year's Brazilian Championship. None of this, however, compares to the moment on Sunday night, when he scored the winning goal that finally won Flamengo the Brazilian title, 17 years later.

"I came, I adapted, and today I can consider myself a winner. I'm thinking about my city, my people. I want to dedicate the title to my family. I'm so happy, it's impossible to describe," he concluded.