Cruzeiro owner makes strong accusation against Flamengo’s Leonardo Jardim

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·9 March 2026

Cruzeiro owner makes strong accusation against Flamengo’s Leonardo Jardim

Leonardo Jardim left Cruzeiro at the end of last year

Leonardo Jardim is the main topic in Brazilian football after being hired by Flamengo to replace Filipe Luís. Thus, Pedro Lourenço, owner of Cruzeiro’s SAF and former club of the Portuguese coach, revealed how the coach left the team and mentioned an unusual request.

— Leonardo Jardim had a contract, everyone knows, until 2026. And he told me he would no longer be a coach, that he wanted to be a manager, and asked me to remove the release clause from his contract. And because of his good work, I did — began Pedro Lourenço, owner of Cruzeiro’s SAF.

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— He (Jardim) came and said: “Look, I’m not staying anymore. I’m leaving because I have to spend two months there to solve personal problems.” And that’s how it was. I always say that, in football, I need to take a course, because it’s difficult for me. The truths don’t last 24 hours. So, it’s kind of complicated — he concluded, in an interview with SporTV.

HOW DID LEONARDO JARDIM DO AT CRUZEIRO?

Leonardo Jardim arrived at Cruzeiro at the beginning of last year and, initially, his work with the team was questioned. That’s because he finished as runner-up to Atlético-MG in the Campeonato Mineiro and was eliminated early in the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana.

However, the Portuguese coach’s work improved. Leonardo Jardim led Cruzeiro to third place in the Campeonato Brasileiro and secured a spot in this year’s Libertadores. Finally, he also reached the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil, where they lost to Corinthians, who ended up as champions.

HOW DID LEONARDO JARDIM ARRIVE AT FLAMENGO?

Thus, Leonardo Jardim became the coach of Flamengo to replace Filipe Luís, who was dismissed last Tuesday (03). As a result, the Portuguese coach debuted with a title, since o Mais Querido beat Fluminense in the final of the Campeonato Carioca.

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