Royal jokes as Flamengo players attend NFL game at the Maracanã | OneFootball

Flamengo's Emerson Royal, Saúl and Léo Ortiz attended the Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys NFL game at the Maracanã on Sunday, experiencing the arena in unfamiliar guise.

According to Globo.com, it was the NFL's first game in Rio de Janeiro and the league's third visit to Brazil, after two São Paulo fixtures at Neo Química Arena in 2024 and 2025.

Royal said he felt nervous to see the ground transformed, calling it his first NFL match and hoping for a very good night. Ortiz described the scene as almost a different stadium, and said it felt special given he plays there most weeks.

Flamengo lent their training centre to the Cowboys late in the week, with Royal and Ortiz attending the session, and the club ran promotional activities. Earlier this month, it also launched a clothing line referencing the club and the NFL.

A long-time fan, Ortiz said he has followed the sport since age 10, is still learning the rules, and enjoyed meeting Cowboys players and swapping shirts to add to his collection.

Royal, a newcomer to the sport, said Ortiz has been teaching him positions, joked he could operate wide as a quick defender, but admitted the big hits might not be for him.

Flamengo staff are involved in the game operations too, with cardiologist Luiz Macedo serving as the NFL medical department coordinator and orthopaedist Fernando Sassaki acting as the Cowboys' doctor. Team medics travelled as usual, but do not hold a licence to practise in Brazil.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”