Flamengo's Libertadores rivals Cruzeiro sign Messi's Argentina team-mate

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Coluna do Fla

·18. Juni 2026

Flamengo's Libertadores rivals Cruzeiro sign Messi's Argentina team-mate

What is Cruzeiro’s new signing for the rest of the season?

Cruzeiro will face Flamengo in the Round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores. During the World Cup break, the Minas Gerais club was active in the market and announced the signing of Gabriel Rojas, a left back who has already played alongside Lionel Messi for the Argentina National Team.

Through social media, Cruzeiro announced the deal for Gabriel Rojas, who had been with Racing (ARG). In the post, the Belo Horizonte club said the Argentine fullback’s contract will run through the end of 2029.

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SEE THE POST

SEJA BEM-VINDO, 𝙂𝘼𝘽𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙇 𝙍𝙊𝙅𝘼𝙎! 🦊✍️ O Cabuloso acertou a contratação do lateral-esquerdo argentino até o fim de 2029! 🤝 Deixe sua mensagem de boas-vindas, Nação! 💙
– Donnerstag, 18. Juni 2026

HOW DID CRUZEIRO’S NEGOTIATIONS FOR GABRIEL ROJAS FROM RACING GO?

Gabriel Rojas was Cruzeiro’s ‘dream target’ for this transfer window. At first, the club negotiated with the fullback’s representatives, who gave a positive response. Faced with that ‘yes,’ the Belo Horizonte side began talks with Racing.

In the first approach, the Avellaneda club turned down Cruzeiro’s offer, but Cruzeiro did not give up. However, in recent days, the Minas Gerais side managed to convince Racing to release Gabriel Rojas. According to GE, the Belo Horizonte club will pay 6 million dollars (R$31 million at the current exchange rate) to the Argentine team.

HAS GABRIEL ROJAS ALREADY PLAYED WITH MESSI FOR ARGENTINA?

Gabriel Rojas is one of the top fullbacks in Argentine football today. As a result, the player took part in some of Argentina’s warm-up friendlies for the World Cup. In one of those matches, in fact, he played alongside Lionel Messi. In the end, the player did not make the final squad, but his name was included on the preliminary list for La Albiceleste.

WHEN WILL THE FLAMENGO VS CRUZEIRO MATCHES TAKE PLACE IN THE LIBERTADORES?

The first group stage of the Libertadores has ended, and Conmebol held a new draw for the knockout rounds. As a result, the ‘balls’ paired Flamengo and Cruzeiro against each other in the Round of 16 of the tournament.

The first clash between the Brazilian teams is scheduled for August 12, at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Mineirão. After that, the second and decisive meeting between Flamengo and Cruzeiro will be on 08/19, at the same time, but at the Maracanã. Therefore, as usual, Coluna do Fla TV will show the details of the matchup on YouTube, as well as on its website and social media. SEE FLAMENGO VS CRUZEIRO MATCHES IN THE LIBERTADORES12/08 – Cruzeiro vs Flamengo – 9:30 p.m. – Mineirão19/08 – Flamengo vs Cruzeiro – 9:30 p.m. – Maracanã. *All times are Brasília time.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.