(photo: Gladyston Rodrigues/EM/DA Press)
An idol of Cruzeiro, Nonato defended Ronaldo and the management of the Sociedade Anônima de Futebol (SAF) in Raposa. The 1997 Copa Libertadores champion also spoke about the fans’ demands and the current celestial moment.
In an exclusive interview with On Attack this Wednesday (24/4), the former left-back spoke about the current lack of connection between Cruzeiro fans and the management led by Ronaldo Fenômeno.
“The problem is that we were used to those presidents who were in the crowd. The reality today is that the club is a company, and the owner does not always provide satisfaction to one person or another. He (Ronaldo) has to do his job and try to make as few mistakes as possible. And the fans will demand it, this is normal, because football is about results.”
Nonato, Cruzeiro idol
Nonato also gave his opinion on the investments made by SAF do Cruzeiro. For some of the fans, the current Celeste board has assembled a squad that still does not match the club’s history. The Cruzeiro idol focused on the principle of a club-company to comment on the financial situation.
“The charge is normal, everyone knows that. (Ronaldo) bought a club with more than 10 million fans, so the charge will always exist. But I’ve already explained it several times: SAF will not spend more than it collects. People don’t understand that there is a debt to be paid monthly. In order for you to invest, you first have to pay off all debts”, said Nonato.
Cruise Moment
In addition to raising questions about the board’s work, Nonato spoke about Cruzeiro’s current phase. The team lost the Campeonato Mineiro to Atlético, was eliminated by Sousa-PB in the Copa do Brasil, has four points out of nine in the Brazilian Championship and has not yet won in the Copa Sudamericana.
“It’s a complicated moment, Cruzeiro is coming off the loss of a state title that we haven’t won for a long time. Then they are eliminated in the first phase of the Copa do Brasil, then comes the South American Cup, in which they fail to achieve a positive result. Everyone is upset, but I believe that Cruzeiro will recover during the Sudamericana and also in the Brazilian Championship.”
Nonato, former left-back
Nonato is one of the greatest players in Cruzeiro’s history. In seven years, he played in 394 games, scored 23 goals and was champion 12 times. The former defender won five international titles with the club: two-time Supercopa championship (1991 and 1992), the Gold Cup (1995), the Master Cup (1995), and the Libertadores (1997). In addition to the Brazilian Cups (1993 and 1996), the full-back won four state titles and one Minas Gerais Champions Cup.
Opposite positioning of another idol
In contrast to Nonato’s “defense”, another Cruzeiro idol took a stand against Ronaldo. In a post on social media, Roberto Gaúcho criticized his former strike partner’s choices and called for the sale of SAF after Cruzeiro’s 3-0 defeat to rival Altético, on Saturday (20/4), at Arena MRV.
“Our team is limited. Our directors are playing around at Cruzeiro, they don’t know the history of the club, a giant of Brazilian and world football, which is used to winning titles and being a protagonist. Pedro Martins, Paulo André, Gabriel (Lima)… these guys don’t know the history of Cruzeiro, they have no love for the club, they were parachuted into Cruzeiro. It’s a shame, you see. I commented on this three, four months ago, I sent a message to Ronaldo, we played together”, said Roberto Gaúcho, who continued.
“Cruzeiro is huge, and the fans are passionate, bringing 60 thousand people to Mineirão. The fans support the team from start to finish, but there is no way to support it more, this team is very weak. We already mentioned it four months ago, and you (Ronaldo) took it all as a joke. How does a management like that hire so many limited players for a squad? It’s Brazilian Series A, there’s no easy game. You have to wake up, otherwise you will take it and sell it to Pedrinho BH (Pedro Lourenço). The only one who puts money in and loves the club passionately has already put millions into the club. Take it and sell it to him.”
Roberto Gaúcho, former Cruzeiro striker
Roberto Gaúcho played alongside Ronaldo between 1993 and 1994. Together, they led Cruzeiro to the 1994 Campeonato Mineiro title, in which the Fenômeno was top scorer with 22 goals.
Considered one of the most decisive players in the history of Raposa, Roberto Gaúcho wore the Celeste shirt from 1992 to 1997. During this period, he found the net in the finals of the 1992 Supercopa Libertadores and in the 1993 and 1996 Brazilian Cups. There were 52 goals in 221 games for Cruzeiro
