Paulo Autuori receives tribute and cries at Cruzeiro event; watch

Cruzeiro’s technical director, Paulo Autuori was honored by directors during an event this Tuesday (26), at Mineirão. The club’s football director, Pedro Martins, took the initiative to praise the former coach, who was moved by the speech. Shortly afterwards, the club’s CEO, Gabriel Lima, made a point of thanking his teammate for helping Raposa avoid relegation in 2023.

“I would like to do one more, one last act. This is completely out of protocol. However, a meeting like this could not pass without everyone thanking Paulo Autuori for what he did at the end of last year”, said football director Pedro Martins. Gabriel Lima, soon after, said: “As long as I’m here, I hope he’s on our side.”

Autuori played a fundamental role in Cruzeiro’s stay in Series A of the Brazilian Championship in 2023. In November, when Zé Ricardo was fired, Paulo led the interim Celeste technical committee. He was alongside Fernando Seabra and Vinícius Rovaris, coaches who, at the time, led teams in the club’s youth categories.

With Autuori, Cruzeiro improved its performance, got out of the relegation zone and remained undefeated until the end of the championship. There were six matches, two wins and four draws (55% success rate). The Celestial team shook off the ‘crisis’ and ended the Brasileirão in 14th place, with 47 points, four more than the first team in the Z4.

Cruzeiro Kick-Off

Cruzeiro’s board of directors met this Tuesday (26) with club employees to present the goals for the 2024 season. The meeting took place at the Mineirão stadium, in Belo Horizonte, and was attended by Ronaldo, majority shareholder of Sociedade Anônima de Futebol (SAF) Celeste, directors and players.

The “Kickoff” (start, in literal translation from English) is an event on the institutional calendar of SAF do Cruzeiro. The meeting has been held since 2022, when Ronaldo Fenômeno’s sports holding company took control of the club. In this edition, the year 2023 was announced and projects for future seasons were presented.