Cruzeiro move fast, announce Tite as Leonardo Jardim’s replacement | OneFootball

Cruzeiro’s management acted quickly in the market and appointed Tite as the new head coach of the team following Leonardo Jardim’s departure. The coach’s name was chosen by the club’s top brass and, after finalizing the last details with his representatives on Tuesday morning, he was officially announced by the club.

With the new leadership in place, Cruzeiro is already planning for the start of the next season. The team is set to debut in the Campeonato Mineiro on January 10, when they will host Pouso Alegre at Mineirão. In the Brazilian Championship, their first challenge will be against Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro at the end of next month. Tite joins the club with a contract valid until the end of 2026.

Tite arrives at Toca da Raposa to fill the vacancy left by Leonardo Jardim. The Portuguese coach had been hired in February this year to replace Fernando Diniz. After a turbulent start, Jardim managed to establish a tactical identity for Cruzeiro and, under his command, the team reached the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil and finished third in Série A, securing a direct spot in the group stage of the 2026 Libertadores.

In total, there were 55 matches, with 26 wins, 18 draws, and 11 losses. The coach’s farewell took place this Monday, when he announced his decision to take a break from his career, citing the need to preserve his physical and mental health.

At 64 years old, Tite has not taken on a new role since September of last year, when he was dismissed by Flamengo after being eliminated by Peñarol in the Copa Libertadores da América. The coach came close to returning to Corinthians at the beginning of this year, but decided to take a break from his career to focus on his mental health. Internacional, from Porto Alegre, was another team interested in hiring him.

Tite’s main achievements were with Corinthians and the Brazilian National Team. At Parque São Jorge, he won two Brazilian Championships (2011 and 2015), the 2012 Copa Libertadores da América, and the FIFA Club World Cup in the same year. He also won the Recopa Sudamericana and the Campeonato Paulista.

In 2016, Tite took over as head coach of the Brazilian National Team, where he remained until 2022. At the helm of the national squad, he managed 81 matches, with 60 wins, 15 draws, and six losses, achieving an 80% success rate. During this period, he won the 2019 Copa América and led Brazil in two World Cup editions, in 2018 and 2022.

In his last job at Flamengo, Tite stayed for almost a year. He was announced in October 2023 and made his debut precisely against Cruzeiro in the Brazilian Championship, winning 2-0 at Mineirão. With the Rubro-negro, he managed 70 matches, with 41 wins, 13 draws, and 16 losses, a success rate of 64.7%. His team scored 109 goals and conceded 50. The coach won the Campeonato Carioca with the team.

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