Artur Jorge on Cruzeiro deal until 2030 and catching Flamengo, Palmeiras

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·30 September 2026

Artur Jorge on Cruzeiro deal until 2030 and catching Flamengo, Palmeiras

Coach Artur Jorge explained the reasons that led him to renew his contract with Cruzeiro until 2030, announced after just two weeks of work at the club. Speaking on Charla Podcast this Wednesday (30), during the FIFA international break, the Portuguese manager assessed the vote of confidence he received from the board, talked about the situation he found within the team, and pointed to Flamengo and Palmeiras as benchmarks the Minas Gerais club should aim to reach.

For Artur Jorge, the difference today lies not only in the quality of the squads of the two main rivals, but also in the level of structural organization both clubs display. According to the coach, this is one of Cruzeiro’s main challenges in order to close the gap on its rivals.

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“More than a surprise, it is a vote of confidence and an increase in my responsibility. Flamengo and Palmeiras are a step ahead, not only because of their squads, which are the best in Brazil, but what stands out most to me is the way they are structurally organized, how each of them goes about its day-to-day business, and that is the great challenge we have at Cruzeiro if we want to get closer to them.”

Renewal after two weeks of work

The renewal until 2030 was decided by the club’s board shortly after the coach’s arrival. The long-term deal represents a bet on continuity, and in Artur Jorge’s view, it also shows the commitment between the coaching staff and those responsible for the club’s project.

The Portuguese coach stressed that such a long contract extension after only two weeks of work is not something usual, but said the decision stemmed from an alignment with the goals presented by Pedro Lourenço and Pedro Junior, Cruzeiro’s owners.

“The goal and the proposal to renew until 2030 are based precisely on that. It is not normal, not even for me, that after two weeks of work a renewal for another three years is proposed. I believe there is also recognition from Pedrinho and Pedro Junior, a father and son who own the club, that there was great willingness on my part and on the part of my coaching staff for us to also be committed to the project they aspire to. From here on, we cease to be a coaching staff here to do two years of work, and we begin to have responsibilities to build a project around the growth Cruzeiro intends to achieve.”

Artur Jorge also put into context the moment Cruzeiro was going through before his arrival. The coach highlighted that the team already had a squad he considered qualified, but was coming off a run of eight matches without a win, with four draws and four losses.

In the Portuguese coach’s assessment, the goal is not to place responsibility on anyone for the previous period, but to recognize that the results achieved since his arrival had a direct impact on the perception of the work being done.

“We had a good squad, a good coach, but things were not working. There were eight games in which we couldn’t win, with four draws and four defeats, and it is nobody’s fault. We had a direct impact on the results, which helps validate the work done. At the time of the renewal, I was careful to present a project to the club for these next five years. We have to manage expectations, give it time, and shape things in a way that allows us to make the most of it. Fifty percent of Cruzeiro’s squad is under 23 years old, a very young squad. We have 20-year-old players making their debut for the Brazilian national team, and 17-year-olds who were starters for Cruzeiro. We need this time and this path.”

Artur Jorge’s numbers at Cruzeiro

Since Artur Jorge’s arrival, Cruzeiro have played 33 official matches, including the Brazilian Championship, the Copa do Brasil, and the Libertadores. The record stands at 17 wins, eight draws, and eight losses.

The main transformation took place in the Brazilian Championship. Artur Jorge took over the team in a delicate situation, at the bottom of the table, with only four points. Since then, Cruzeiro have shown a significant recovery and have gone on to compete directly for a place in the G-5.

Over the span of one half of a Brazilian Championship season under the Portuguese coach, Cruzeiro posted a points percentage close to 70%, a performance that put the team among the leaders during that period.

If the Brazilian Championship performance represents the main positive aspect, the knockout competitions showed the other side of Artur Jorge’s work.

Cruzeiro were ultimately eliminated from the Copa do Brasil by Atlético-MG and from the Libertadores by Flamengo. Those exits highlighted some inconsistency from the team in decisive matchups and prevented their strong league campaign from being matched by a more consistent run in knockout tournaments.

Currently, the team sits in sixth place with 45 points, remaining close to the Libertadores qualification zone.

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