Clássico dos Milhões

The rivalry between Flamengo and Vasco da Gama dates back long before the clubs' football teams, as both were founded as rowing teams.^[9] The Grupo de Regatas do Flamengo was founded in 1895 by six young men from the Flamengo neighborhood and was present from the first Rio de Janeiro Rowing Championship in 1898.^[10] Also in 1898, the Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama was founded by 62 young men, most of them Portuguese immigrants, in the Saúde neighborhood, and would only begin participating in the championship the following year.^[11] The two clubs are still the most successful in the Rio de Janeiro Rowing Championship.^[12]

In 1912, the Flamengo football team was created and debuted in the Campeonato Carioca First Division that same year, finishing the competition in second place. Flamengo won its first championship in 1914. Vasco had its own football team in 1915, starting in the Third Division. In 1923, with Vasco's promotion to the First Division, the two teams began to face each other in football. The first official match took place on April 29, 1923, at the Paysandu Street Stadium, with Vasco winning 3–1. Vasco would eventually become champion in its debut year in the First Division, with Flamengo as runner-up.^[13] However, the previous year, there was a unofficial match played between both, with a 1–0 victory for Flamengo, for the Torneio Início, an opening competition of the Campeonato Carioca with rules different from the laws of the game, in which a full match lasted around 20 to 30 minutes.^[14] Since then, the two halves would face each other at least once every year, except in 1935 and 1936, when they split into two separate leagues.

Between 1940 and 1943, Flamengo would go on to have thirteen consecutive unbeaten games against Vasco. This would be surpassed a few years later by Vasco's Expresso da Vitória, which went 19 matches without losing to Flamengo from 1945 to 1951. However, the two teams only competed for a trophy again in the 1944 Campeonato Carioca, in which Flamengo edged Vasco by two points and was crowned champion. In the 1952 Campeonato Carioca, the two would once again fight for the title, with Vasco finishing six points ahead of Flamengo. At the time, both clubs were already known for their popular appeal, but the derby didn't feature a decisive match until the 1958 Campeonato Carioca, nicknamed the "Super-Supercampeonato" and considered unique because Botafogo, Flamengo, and Vasco had to play a triangular tiebreaker twice. The final match was played by Flamengo and Vasco, with the latter playing to a draw, which they ultimately achieved.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the rivalry was embodied by Roberto Dinamite and Zico (something like the Bird–Johnson rivalry in the NBA), still considered the two most important players in the history of each club, who played for approximately the same period. Both players crystallized the playing style of their teams, Zico personifying the more technical and refined Flamengo of the 1980s, and Dinamite the offensive and passionate style of Vasco at the time. The first major matches between the two began in the 1976 Taça Guanabara playoffs, where Zico missed a penalty, giving Vasco the comeback title. The same occurred a year later, giving Vasco the overall title. Later, Flamengo had a clear advantage, winning every tournament in 1978 and 1979. In the early 1980s, Vasco saw Flamengo win its three national titles, but still constantly challenged its archrivals for the title. After finishing runner-up to Flamengo in 1981, Vasco eventually defeated Flamengo's brilliant intercontinental champion team to win the 1982 Campeonato Carioca title again. Dinamite and Zico always showed enormous respect for their opponents and, in some way, were constantly admired by each other.^[15]

During the 1990s, two of the biggest figures in Brazilian football indirectly swapped players: Bebeto, who shone at Flamengo in the 1980s, was signed by Vasco in 1989, while Romário, who came up through Vasco's youth system and was a key player for the club, joined Flamengo in 1995. These changes increased the tension in the derbies, which were already naturally charged with the passion of the fans.^[16] The decade was also marked by historic thrashings on both sides. In 1991 Campeonato Carioca, Flamengo won 5–2 in a great offensive performance. Years later, Vasco experienced one of the best periods in its history and returned the favor with impressive victories: in 1997 Campeonato Carioca, the Vasco team beat Flamengo 4–1, with a memorable performance by Edmundo,^[17] and in 1999 Taça Rio, they won again 5–1.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2000s, the rivalry remained intense and gained symbolic moments, such as the famous "chocolate" match on Easter Sunday, when Vasco beat Flamengo 5–1 in the 2000 Campeonato Carioca, in one of the most memorable performances of the period. Before the match, Vasco's director Eurico Miranda had given a chocolate egg to each fan in the stadium and, at the end of the match, uttered the famous phrase: "I gave Easter eggs to the fans, and chocolate to them". This game became a cultural reference between the fans and is remembered whenever expressive scores in the rivalry are discussed.^[18] However, the most remarkable event between the two clubs during this period was the 2006 Copa do Brasil finals, the only national final between Flamengo and Vasco to date. Flamengo won both games: 2–0 at the Maracanã in the first leg and 1–0 at São Januário in the second leg, winning the title against their biggest rival. The final was marked by a tense atmosphere, the mobilization of both fan bases, and the historical importance of a decisive national-level match.^[19] Even with ups and downs—such as Vasco's relegation in 2008 and Flamengo's inconsistent periods—the direct confrontations of that decade remained intense and competitive.

In the 2010s, Flamengo restructured itself financially and sportingly starting in 2013, while Vasco faced its worst decade with three relegations in the national league, but still managed to prevail in several derbies. The biggest proof of this was Vasco's unbeaten streak of 10 games against Flamengo between 2015 and 2017. The period also provided memorable matches, such as the 4–4 draw in the 2019 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, considered one of the greatest derby matches of the century.^[20]

In the 2020s, the rivalry entered a scenario of distinct sporting realities. Flamengo maintained competitive squads at both national and international levels, while Vasco went through a complicated period, with fluctuations, financial difficulties, and relegations that reflected its search for stability. The arrival of the Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF) marked a reconstruction process at the Vasco club. Even so, the rivalry remained intense and, at times, unbalanced in terms of score: the most emblematic example was Flamengo's 6–1 thrashing of Vasco in the 2024 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, a result that had a great impact because it symbolized, on the field, the difference in form between the teams at that moment.^[21]