Urubu
The vulture, Flamengo's mascot since 1969, began as a taunt from rival fans.
The urubu (vulture) has been Flamengo's mascot since 1969. In the 1960s rival supporters called Flamengo fans urubus, a racist allusion to the many supporters who were poor or of African descent. Flamengo fans took the word back, and the vulture replaced the club's first mascot, Popeye.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Club mascot
- Adopted
- 1969
- Previous mascot
- Popeye
Lore & Background
Flamengo's first mascot was Popeye the Sailor Man, suggested by the Argentine cartoonist Lorenzo Molas for the character's strength and his link with the sea, but it was never very popular. On 1 June 1969, at a Flamengo–Botafogo match at the Maracanã, while Botafogo fans shouted that Flamengo was a urubu team, a Flamengo fan released a vulture with the club flag tied to its feet. When it landed on the pitch the crowd shouted "É urubu, é urubu", and Flamengo won 2–1.
Reader's Guide
The name appears across the club: the training centre is known as the Ninho do Urubu (Vulture's Nest), and the stadium Flamengo used in 2017 and 2018, Portuguesa's Estádio Luso Brasileiro, was nicknamed Ilha do Urubu (Vulture's Island) by fans in a poll.
The cartoonist Henfil used the urubu in his sports cartoons and it became a popular mascot. In 2000 the club gave it an official design and the name Samuca, but supporters kept calling it simply Urubu.
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