CR Flamengo

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈklubi dʒi ʁeˈɡataz du flaˈmẽɡu]; lit. 'Flamengo Rowing Club'), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi-sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea. It was founded and named after the Flamengo neighborhood in 1895 and is best known for its professional football team. Flamengo is one of two clubs to have never been relegated from the top division, along with São Paulo FC, and the most popular football club in Brazil with more than 46.9 million fans, equivalent to 21.9% of the population that supports a team in Brazil.

The club was first established in 1895 specifically as a rowing club in the Flamengo neighborhood and did not play its first official football match until 1912. Flamengo's traditional uniform features red and black striped shirts with white shorts, and red and black striped socks. Flamengo has typically played its home matches in the Maracanã Stadium (which also often host the Brazil national team) since its completion in 1950. Since 1969, the vulture (Portuguese: urubu) has been the mascot of Flamengo.

Flamengo is Brazil's richest and most valuable football club with an annual revenue of R$1.2 billion (€218 million) and a valuation of over R$3.8 billion (€691 million). Flamengo is the non-European football club with the most followers on social media, with 49 million followers across all platforms as of 18 June 2023, and also the most successful Brazilian team of the 21st century so far.

The clubs's training center, officially known as "Ninho do Urubu" ("Vulture's Nest"), is located in Vargem Grande, Rio de Janeiro. It serves as the primary training facility for the Flamengo football club, housing its professional teams and youth academy. Flamengo's youth academy is one of the most prolific in Brazil and in the world, having developed a number of Brazilian internationals such as Zico, Zizinho, Vinícius Júnior, Lucas Paquetá, Júlio César, Adriano, Mário Zagallo, Júnior and Leonardo.

Flamengo has also been well represented in the Brazil national team; at the 1938 FIFA World Cup, forward Leônidas da Silva, a Flamengo player at the time, was the Golden Boot winner with 7 goals and won the Golden Ball, thus becoming the first Brazilian player ever to win those two awards. Twelve years later at the 1950 World Cup, Zizinho, a midfielder for Flamengo, also won the Golden Ball after he was voted best player; 4 out of the 10 top scorers for Brazil have all been Flamengo players at one point in their careers, seven players have won the World Cup whilst playing for Flamengo, and Flamengo player Mário Zagallo scored Brazil's third goal in the 1958 World Cup final.

Flamengo was founded on 17 November 1895, by a group of rowers gathered at club member Nestor de Barros's manor on Flamengo Beach in Rio de Janeiro. In the late 19th century, rowing was the elite, upper middle class sport in the region and the group hoped to impress the young women of the city's high society by establishing a rowing club. Previously, they could only afford a used boat named Pherusa, which had to be completely rebuilt before it could be used in competition. The team debuted on October 6, 1895, when they sailed off the Caju Point toward Flamengo Beach. However, strong winds turned over the boat and the rowers nearly drowned. They were rescued by a fishing boat named Leal (Loyal). Later as the Pherusa was undergoing repairs, it was stolen and never found again. The group saved money to buy a new boat, the Etoile, renamed Scyra.

On the night of 17 November, the group gathered at Nestor de Barros's manor on Flamengo beach and founded the Grupo de Regatas do Flamengo (English: Flamengo Rowing Group) and elected its first board and president (Domingos Marques de Azevedo). The name was changed a few weeks later to its current title of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (Flamengo Rowing Club). The founders decided that the anniversary of the club's foundation should be commemorated on 15 November to coincide with Republic Proclamation Day, a national holiday.

Flamengo's football team was only established after a group of ten dissatisfied players from Fluminense broke away from that club following a board dispute. The players decided to join Flamengo because Alberto Borgerth, the team's captain, was also a rower for Flamengo. Also, establishing a land sports department at Flamengo was preferable to joining football rivals Botafogo or the all-English club Paissandu. The new members were admitted on 8 November 1911. A motion against the club taking part in football tournaments was put to a vote but was defeated, and as a result the members officially established the club's new football department on 24 December 1911.