Vinicius Junior and Zico post condolences after Flamengo fire kills 10 youth players

The blaze, which engulfed a dormitory at the youth team training centre, occurred when players were asleep. At least three others were injured and the cause is not yet known.

Vinicius Junior, the teenage Real Madrid forward who trained at the facility before joining for the Spanish giants last year, tweeted his condolences.

"What sad News! Praying for everyone! Strength, strength, strength," he wrote.

Flamengo, the alma mater of players such as Zico, Junior and Leonardo, is one of the best-supported clubs in Brazil and is famous around the world. Known by fans as the Red-and-Black, they won the Copa Libertadores, South America's version of the Champions League, in 1981 and lifted the Intercontinental Cup a few months later.

Zico, who is outside Brazil, wrote on Instagram: "What a shock getting this news here on the other side of the world," the former Brazil midfielder wrote. "May the Red-and-Black nation have strength and faith to get through this moment."

One of Flamengo's most high-profile fans, the country's vice-president, also expressed his condolences.

"As a fan and sportsman I stand in solidarity with the families, the club and the Red-and-Black nation," General Hamilton Mourao wrote on twitter. "May God comfort all."

Former Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002, posted too.

Clubs across the world, including Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, also tweeted their condolences.