Pedro Martins is no longer Cruzeiro’s football director. The professional leaves his position to settle with Vasco. The departure opens an important gap in the Celestial football department at a turbulent time in the season.
The information about Pedro Martins’ departure was provided by GE and confirmed by Itatiaia with sources linked to both clubs.
Pedro Martins has been at Cruzeiro since 2022, when Ronaldo took control of Sociedade Anônima de Futebol (SAF). He leaves Toca da Raposa to take up a vacant seat at Vasco.
The Rio club had been without a professional in charge since it had fired Alexandre Mattos, on March 21st.
Cruise wear
Pedro Martins was the constant target of fan protests. Since 2023, Cruzeiro residents, questioning the formation of the squad and the sporting results at Cruzeiro, have asked for the football director to leave.
One of Martins’ last acts in charge of Cruzeiro football was the rehiring of coach Fernando Seabra. The former coach of the under-20 team, after leaving the club for Red Bull Bragantino, returned to Toca II to take on the role of coach of the main team.
In an interview in March, Pedro Martins explained the dismissal of coach Nicolás Larcamón and the return of Fernando Seabra to Cruzeiro’s technical command.
“We are happy with Seabra’s return. This return represents a reconnection with your identity, your method, your way of working. We believe that Seabra, in addition to the professional figure he built, represents everything that Cruzeiro has built in the last two and a half years. The fact of valuing the base and making the game collective were the main premises for making this decision”, said Pedro Martins, in his last press conference, on April 9th of this year.
Coincidence between Pedro Martins and Alexandre Mattos
Coincidentally, Pedro Martins will replace Alexandre Mattos for the second time. When he arrived at Cruzeiro, Martins occupied a position that belonged, exactly, to Mattos. At the time, Alexandre worked temporarily in the position at the request of Pedro Lourenço, the club’s investor.
At the end of 2021, shortly before the implementation of the SAF at the club, Alexandre Mattos began assembling the squad of players. However, when Ronaldo took over the administration of Cruzeiro, one of the Fenômeno’s decisions was not to use the professional in the celestial management organization chart.
More information in a moment
