the red-blacks relaunch the global dream and seek a new catharsis 44 years later

The World Cup victory, which elevated the generation of Galinho and players like Júnior, Leandro, Adílio, Andrade and Nunes to the club’s best generation, has shaped fans over the past four decades. The triumph of the Red and Black changed the level of the competition, until then considered an international tournament in the eyes of Brazil, even if Pelé’s Santos had won it twice in the 1960s. Now, everyone wanted the world, and the red-blacks wanted it again.

For many years, “towards Tokyo” was a mixture of envy, demand and irony in the stands of the Maracanã for every chance of a place with the Libertadores. It was there, in the Japanese capital, that Flamengo made history – and other Brazilians thereafter, until FIFA adopted the Club World Cup and took it east. The reds and blacks were trying to regain this winning aura. In more than three decades, he has come a long way from crossing oceans to reaching the top of the world. From 1982 to 2018, the team participated in only 13 editions of the tournament, and the farthest was the semi-finals, in 1982 and 1984. However, in each season, even during the worst, the dream remained alive.

— After Zico’s farewell at the farewell ball at the Maracanã in 1990, Flamengo supporters adopted the most varied mantras. Perhaps the most dramatic was the “45 points remaining” at each start of the Brazilian Championship. The cry “toward Tokyo” appears more in its ironic version than in its properly prophetic version. It was a huge inside joke, so much so that it was never updated to say “head to Doha” or “head to Philadelphia!” » — says the red-black writer Marcelo Dunlop.

The flame was rekindled after the club experienced a new paradigm shift. In the 1980s, a skinny kid took shape and put Flamengo on top. Now the work to be done was in the red and black boxes. In the new century, well-balanced finances often lead to finals and titles. And, at this new level, fans realized they could ask for people again.

— With the financial revolution of the last ten years, we have started to get used to prophecy. And this magical day that seemed like it would never come became reality. The fans were now singing: “We will come back, we will come back / To be number one / To win the World Cup / Like in 81!” »And no one laughed anymore, adds Dunlop.

As fate would have it, the peak could have been reached again against Liverpool. But times are different. The euro speaks louder than before. The “witches”, who returned in 1981 as prophesied by the English press in reference to Brazilian players, are spread across the world. Firmino, in overtime, ended his dream in 2019.

Today, the world can turn red and black again, and the streets are invaded in much greater proportions than what was thought four decades ago: part of the delegation returning to Brazil was welcomed by around a hundred people at the airport. And, after the news possible catharsis, the question that dominates the round tables can finally be answered: which is the greatest team in the history of Flamengo?

— Our commander compared great teams to works of art. The one from 1981 is Portinari, the one from 2019 is Di Cavalcanti or a great Portuguese painter. What art is Filipe Luís preparing? Deep down, fans just want to enjoy. In my case, I would only have one doubt between 1981 and 2025: Lico or Lino in attack? I hope they lead to everlasting discussions at the bar, says Dunlop.