Saúl surprises and claims Flamengo are bigger than Real Madrid | OneFootball

Real Madrid (ESP) was Saúl's opponent for much of his career

Saúl Ñíguez joined Flamengo in mid-2025 and, despite the short time, is already impressed with the size of Mengão. It's no wonder the Spaniard stated that Rubro-Negro is bigger than Real Madrid (ESP), one of the main powers in world football.

— It's more than Real Madrid. In fact, Real doesn't have fans. Real is famous, yes, for all it has won, for being known worldwide. Because of that, it has followers, but you go to the stadium and feel nothing. On the other hand, you go to Maracanã and it's always full -, he said, before concluding:

— Away from home, it's always packed with Flamengo fans. We played against Sport Recife and they changed stadiums to accommodate our fans. And I'm talking about a three and a half hour flight from Rio. You go to Lima and our fans fill it up, while Palmeiras' don't. Then you say: “This is truly a big fanbase”-, concluded Saúl, in an interview with ‘Diario AS’.

What are Flamengo's numbers at Maracanã in 2025?

As in recent years, Flamengo dominated all attendance statistics in Brazilian football in 2025. In the Brasileirão, Rubro-Negro had a total of 1.1 million people in the 19 home games, all at Maracanã, with an average of more than 58 thousand paying spectators per match.

Moreover, Flamengo holds 15 of the 20 largest attendances in the Brasileirão 2025, including the top four. The championship record, which also broke the attendance record for club matches at the New Maracanã, was in the 1-0 victory over Ceará, with 73.2 thousand fans present.

What is Flamengo's next match?

The Flamengo fans now promise to show up in force for the match against PSG (FRA), in the grand final of the Club World Cup. However, it is expected that Al Rayyan Stadium will have a larger number of French fans, as the decision takes place in Doha, Qatar.

When do Flamengo and PSG face each other?

The grand final between Flamengo and PSG takes place this Wednesday (17), with the world championship title on the line for Rubro-Negro. Thus, the match between Brazilians and French will be at 2 PM (Brasília time), at Al Rayyan Stadium.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details about the match, through YouTube, the website, and social media. However, Globo (open channel), GE TV (YouTube) and Cazé TV (YouTube) will broadcast the Flamengo x PSG match.

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