Flamengo 70s legend: Danilo’s goal joins top 3 iconic moments | OneFootball

‘God of Grit’, Rondinelli spoke exclusively with Coluna do Fla’s reporters

By: Pedro Paulo Catonho and Rodrigo Lima

What do Rondinelli’s goal in the 1978 Carioca final, Ronaldo Angelim’s goal in the 2009 Brasileirão title, and Danilo’s play in the 2025 Libertadores final have in common? Besides a corner kick taken by the number 10 and a header from a center-back, these plays elevated three generations of Flamengo to a new level. That’s the opinion of the ‘God of Grit’, in an exclusive interview with Coluna do Fla.

After November 29, 2025, Rondinelli received many messages comparing the plays. In 1978, the ‘God of Grit’ himself took advantage of Zico’s cross and sent it into the net, securing the title against Vasco. In 2009, it was Angelim’s turn to head the ball into the back of the net after Petkovic’s corner, against Grêmio. Finally, Danilo made the Nation celebrate with an assist from Arrascaeta in the match against Palmeiras, in the Libertadores.

WHAT DID RONDINELLI SAY?

— The similarity and the way Danilo’s goal was scored is very much like mine, like Ronaldo Angelim’s goal. The main thing is that they were all decisive goals. In each situation, the squads had to prove something to their own generation. From Arrascaeta’s generation, to Zico’s, to Petkovic’s — said Rondinelli, to Coluna do Fla.

— It really hit me after I started receiving messages through WhatsApp, through Instagram, and the messages started coming in. The fans are the ones who are the mentors and who made all the connections between a decisive goal like Danilo’s, and that’s what makes us so happy. Of course, we have to praise this Arrascaeta generation, led by Filipe Luís and his entire coaching staff, this new administration under Bap, which starts off on the right foot, winning the Carioca, the fourth Libertadores and now the Brasileirão — he added.

HOW DID RONDINELLI SEE THE LIBERTADORES TITLE?

The ‘God of Grit’ watched the Libertadores final last Saturday (29th) with a group of friends, but with two Palmeiras fans nearby. Rondinelli joked that there was respect between the parties for the 90 minutes, but when Danilo climbed to the third floor to secure Flamengo’s fourth title, the former player couldn’t hold back.

— No one could contain themselves at the moment of the goal and it was wonderful, that’s what we need. Let’s go for a Club World Cup title, God willing, to bring even more joy to the hearts and minds of these Flamengo fans spread all over the world. The great deserving one is this Nation. They truly deserve all these titles, these achievements, victories, and they keep growing and reaching more and more fans, an immense number of supporters. On a global level, they keep winning over fans from all social classes, already surpassing 50 million — he recalled.

— With each achievement, you can be sure that there are many who support other teams and, seeing what Flamengo provides, especially the young ones, the kids, they start to enjoy seeing a title won, something their teams don’t do. They start to believe that Flamengo is truly a source of joy and they want to be happy. Flamengo is just that, it’s exactly this joy, this crowd that brings us great energy, great achievements, and they deserve it — Rondinelli teased.

WHAT ARE THE CONTEXTS OF THE THREE GOALS MENTIONED BY RONDINELLI?

In 1981, Flamengo won the Libertadores and the Club World Cup. However, for many players of that era, nothing would have happened if it weren’t for Rondinelli’s goal in the 1978 Carioca final. There was an expectation that, if Mengão didn’t beat Vasco in the final, names from that Zico generation—Junior, Leandro, Andrade, Adílio, and others—could have been let go.

So, at 41 minutes into the second half, Zico, the greatest number 10 in the club’s history, took the corner. And Rondinelli, just like Danilo, rose to the third floor and sent the Maracanã—packed with over 120,000 people—into a frenzy. In this way, the group stayed together and went on to win titles in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983…

AND ANGELIM’S GOAL?

In 2009, Flamengo was coming off recent failures, like finishing runner-up in the Copa do Brasil to Santo André in 2004 and the traumatic elimination to América do México in the 2008 Libertadores. However, the 17-year drought without a Brasileirão title was broken, with a corner from number 10 Petkovic to the head of center-back Ronaldo Angelim, crowning a team led by the Serbian, Adriano Imperador, and Léo Moura.

Finally, Danilo replayed the story of Rondinelli and Ronaldo Angelim by scoring a header after a cross from number 10 Arrascaeta, sealing the fourth Copa Libertadores da América in Lima, Peru. So, fan, do you agree that the plays are similar after all? Leave your opinion in the comments.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.