Honouring Angenor de Oliveira, better known as samba genius and passionate Tricolor fan, Cartola, Fluminense has revealed its 23/24 third shirt from Umbro on 11 October, the singer and composer's birth date.
Born in 1908 and a passionate Fluminense fan since childhood, Cartola was one of the founders of Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Estação Primeira de Mangueira, or simply Mangueira, a samba school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The school colours were chosen by him as a way of honouring the club he loved since childhood – Fluminense. And so the connection between the Samba genius and the football club was established, strengthened over time by folk lore-esque moments in the club’s history, such as the moment Cartola called upon Mangueira's drum master, Valdomiro and his 120 rhythmists to perform a song that welcomed new signing, Rivellino, ahead of his debut against Corinthians. The footballer duly repaid the honour with a brace in what was a 4-1 win. A relationship forged in stone.
To honour that relationship, Fluminense and Umbro have revealed one of the most special launches of the partnership: the club's new third uniform in honour of Angenor de Oliveira, samba genius and passionate Tricolor fan.
The shirt features a green base colour, and pink in the details of the collar, sleeve, shoulders and numbering. The choice refers to Estação Primeira de Mangueira, one of the most traditional samba schools of Rio's carnival. To celebrate Cartola's passion for Fluminense, the uniform pays homage to a samba classic featured on the samba singer's first studio album, from 1974: the song “Corra e Olhe o Céu”. The song's lyrics run across the entire shirt, on the front and back, with a font that replicates Cartola's own lyrics, transforming the uniform into the artist's manuscript.
To make the launch even more special, an exclusive label was developed for the collection. Located on the hem of the shirt, the stamp features an iconic drawing of the artist with the tricolor shirt, surrounded by the name “Mestre Cartola” in a stylised font. The shirt also has the name Cartola stylised with Fluminense elements on the inside of the collar, further marking the relationship between the club and the poet.
“Honoring Cartola, one of the greatest geniuses of Brazilian music, was an old desire of Fluminense,” stated the president of Fluminense, Mário Bittencourt. “After all, having him as one of the most illustrious fans in our history is a source of great pride. This is a shirt loaded with strength and meaning. We revere the life, work, poetry and legacy of someone whose history is intertwined with that of the club he loved so much.”
Eduardo Dal Pogetto, national brand director at Umbro Brasil, said: “It’s a historic launch for all of us. It celebrates a very solid partnership we have with Fluminense, but it also shows the depth with which we jointly think about the club's uniforms, looking at the club's history, its main characters on and off the field, the passion of the fans and everything it does the Tricolor being what it is. Cartola is Fluminense. Cartola is Brazil. It’s a collection that will be remembered forever.”
Pick up the Fluminense 23/24 third shirt at umbro.com.br
