Fluminense have been crowned national league champions four times, most recently in the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A; the team have also won the 2007 Copa do Brasil.
[2] Fluminense's traditional home kit consists of an iconic combination of three colors: burgundy, white, and green, disposed in vertical stripes, since its adoption in 1904.
[3] Fluminense Football Club was founded on 21 July 1902, in the neighbourhood of Laranjeiras, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, by a group of young football enthusiasts led by Oscar Cox, an English citizen born in Brazil, who had come into contact with the sport whilst studying in Europe, and Cox was subsequently elected as the first president.
[6] Three years later, in Fluminense's stadium, the Brazil national football team debuted, against touring English club Exeter City.
The competition brought together the Champion clubs from countries in South America (Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) and Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and Yugoslavia), its first edition was in 1951, being won by Palmeiras.
In the 1970s, Fluminense signed several famous players such as Carlos Alberto Torres, Dirceu, Gil, Narciso Doval, Pintinho and Roberto Rivellino.
These titles were won by great players such as Branco, Delei, Edinho, Ricardo Gomes, Romerito and the “Casal Vinte”: Assis and Washington.
Fluminense reached the final of the Copa do Brasil for the first time in 1992, but lost to Internacional in a penalty shootout, in a controversial match in Porto Alegre.
However, a set of off-field political manoeuvres not performed by the club allowed them to remain in Brazil's top domestic league,[11] only to be relegated the next year.
[17] The club's 2008 Copa Libertadores campaign saw them reach the finals and included a remarkable 6–0 victory against Arsenal de Sarandí in the group stage,[18] winning both games against Colombian club Atlético Nacional in R16, a comeback against São Paulo in the QF,[19] and disposing of defending champions Boca Juniors in the SF with a 3–1 victory.
[20] Fluminense eventually finished runner-up, losing the finals to LDU Quito on penalties after a 5–5 draw on aggregate, despite a hat-trick from Thiago Neves in the second leg.
[24][17] That, along with Fred's recovery from a serious injury and substantial support from the fans, allowed not only a sensational escape from relegation with five matches remaining, but also placed Fluminense in the Copa Sudamericana finals, having eliminated rivals Flamengo.
For the 2011 season, Fluminense appointed Abel Braga, who led the team to a third-placed finish in the Serie A and qualification for the following year's Copa Libertadores, despite being eliminated in the round of 16 of the aforementioned competition by Club Libertad.
The club decided to keep Abel Braga for 2012 and made big investments for the squad, bringing back Thiago Neves and signing youngster Wellington Nem.
However, Portuguesa and Fluminense's main rivals Flamengo fielded ineligible players in their matches against Grêmio and Cruzeiro respectively, thus losing 4 points after a verdict by STJD (Brazil's governing football jury).
Coupled with Fred's and Carlinhos’ recoveries from injury, Fluminense spent the majority of the 2014 Série A in the top five and fighting for one of the berths at the 2015 Copa Libertadores, ultimately failing to reach its goal after an unstable final stretch and finishing 6th.
For fifteen years, the health insurance company was the main investor in signing players, especially after the team won the 2007 Copa do Brasil, bringing to the club athletes such as Darío Conca, Deco, Diego Cavalieri, Fred, Rafael Sóbis, Thiago Neves and Washington.
[34] In 2019, Fluminense hired Fernando Diniz, a young coach with innovative ideas within Brazilian football, but political conflicts within the club forced him out.
However, after Odair's departure, the club has difficulty maintaining a coach, with Marcão, Roger Machado and Abel Braga taking over the position.
In 2022, after winning the Campeonato Carioca against rivals Flu, their first trophy in a decade, with Argentine striker Germán Cano being the star of the team, and being eliminated from the Libertadores, Abel Braga retires from his coaching career, and Fluminense decides to give Fernando Diniz another chance.
Recent polls have estimated the number of supporters to be between 1.3% and 3.7% of the Brazilian population, and between the 11th and 15th most popular club in the nation, falling behind Rio rivals Vasco, but slightly above Botafogo.
Notable supporters of Fluminense include composers Cartola and Chico Buarque,[44][45] musicians Elis Regina, Ivan Lins, Pixinguinha, Renato Russo and Tom Jobim,[46] actors Breno Mello, Chico Díaz, Dalton Vigh, Hugo Carvana, and Thiago Fragoso, and actresses Deborah Secco, Fernanda Torres, Leticia Spiller and Sheron Menezzes, poet Mário Lago,[47] journalist and songwriter Nelson Motta,[48] dramatist, journalist and writer Nelson Rodrigues,[48] modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer, FIFA president of honor João Havelange,[6] 1970 FIFA World Cup winners Gérson and Carlos Alberto Torres, Chelsea central defender Thiago Silva, Left-back legend Marcelo, racing driver Cacá Bueno, sailors Maertine Grael and Torben Grael, former Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil, inventor and aeronaut Santos Dumont, Silvio Santos, the owner of SBT, the second largest Brazilian television network,[49] and the Academy Award nominee Fernanda Montenegro.
Source:[54] According to the fluzao.info site, the average paying public at the principal classicos of Fluminense played in the Estádio do Maracanã is 60,107 against Flamengo, 43,735 against Vasco da Gama, 34,359 against Botafogo, 25,127 against America and 22,527 against Bangu (1950-2010).
The derby gets its name because of the "giant" matches that have been played between the two, these being the final for the 1984 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, which was won by Fluminense, and the 1985 Copa Libertadores, which had two draws, in addition to several decisions Carioca Championship: 1949, 1956, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1993, 1994 and 2003.
[66] Flu's first match at the Laranjeiras Stadium was the 4–1 victory over Vila Isabel, in the 1919 Carioca Championship, with the Tricolor goals having been scored by Harry Welfare (3) and Machado.
1928, in the Vulcain Cup dispute, with the stadium full and over 2,000 chairs being placed on the athletics track to accommodate the public present.
[68] The last time an official match for Fluminense's main team took place at Laranjeiras Stadium was in 2003, where Flu drew 3–3 with Americano, in the Carioca Championship.
The current project, at a more advanced stage, foresees a revitalization of Laranjeiras, with the stadium remaining with a small audience capacity, being able to host lower demand games, such as the first phases of the state championship and women's football.
[70] Since its construction for the 1950 World Cup, the Maracanã has primarily served as the home ground for the four biggest Rio de Janeiro clubs.
[73] Following its 50th anniversary and aiming to hold the 2000 FIFA Club World Cup in Brazil, the stadium underwent renovations which would increase its full capacity to around 103,000.