CR Flamengo logo

Despite not being the club's official name, Flamengo has become the term used by most to refer not just to the football team, but also the entire sporting association. Other nicknames used by fans include "Fla", "Mengo", and "Mengão" (which means Big Mengo), as well descriptions of the club's official colors, rubro-negro, which translates to "the scarlet-blacks" or "the scarlet and black".

Flamengo's football team—the most popular club in Brazil with an estimated 35 million supporters—placed 9th in FIFA Clubs of the 20th Century.

Popeye used to be Flamengo's mascot, but after 1960s and 1970s the Vulture took its place and became the mascot of the club.