Leonardo Jardim leaves Cruzeiro, Lourenço praises his legacy

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·15 December 2025

Leonardo Jardim leaves Cruzeiro, Lourenço praises his legacy

Coach Leonardo Jardim officially bid farewell to Cruzeiro on the afternoon of this Monday (15), during a press conference held at Toca da Raposa II. After ten months at the helm of the team, the Portuguese manager announced his departure for personal reasons—a decision that, according to him and the club’s board, had already been maturing. The meeting was also attended by SAF’s majority shareholder, Pedro Lourenço, who made a point of praising the work done and lamenting the farewell.

Jardim leaves the command of Raposa with a balance considered positive internally. Under his leadership, Cruzeiro finished the Brazilian Championship in third place, securing a direct spot in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, and also reached the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil, a competition in which they were eliminated by Corinthians on penalties. For the coach and the board, the sporting performance throughout the season fulfilled the objectives set in the planning.

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In his opening remarks, Pedro Lourenço was direct when addressing the coach’s departure and highlighted the club’s efforts to try to keep him. The executive emphasized that the decision stemmed from a personal need of Jardim, related to unavoidable family commitments. Pedrinho made a point of publicly thanking the coach and his staff for their work:

“I’ll keep it brief. I just want to tell you that, regarding Jardim’s departure, we fought hard for this not to happen. But he has his needs. Family commitments that he cannot postpone. I want to express my deep gratitude to Jardim and the coaching staff—they had a fantastic year. Thank you for his work, and I want everyone listening to know that he never asked for anything we couldn’t do; on the contrary, he always helped us with many other things at Cruzeiro that weren’t even his responsibility. He works for the institution, not for the player. He’s a guy who taught us a great lesson—these 10 months are worth 10 years of learning for me. I’m sad about his departure; he’s someone I grew to like, and we have a strong friendship. He never asked for anything—not a raise, not money—and when we talked about money, he argued with me. It’s his need, his wish. Today is doubly sad, because of yesterday’s game and because of Jardim’s departure, which is the hardest for us.”

Explaining his decision, Leonardo Jardim shared details of his personal context since joining the club. The coach recalled that in January, shortly before taking over at Cruzeiro, he went through an intense period of travel and hospitalizations with his wife, which demanded great physical and emotional effort. Even so, he said he accepted the invitation with total commitment to the project presented by Pedro Lourenço.

“In February, when I came to Cruzeiro, I spent 45 days between trips and in the hospital with my wife. No time for anything. Two days after she left the hospital, I came to Cruzeiro, with the energy you all know. I joined the project to do my best, better than it was. And it was through Pedrinho’s invitation that I dedicated myself 100%, to the maximum, on all levels. Our contract was until 2025, and I activated the clause to leave before 2026 for reasons that are very personal. The strain of this whole year, not just sporting but personal, took its toll on me. And some signs warned me: ‘Jardim, slow down a bit, your physical and mental health must be preserved.’”

The coach also made a point of thanking Cruzeiro as an institution, the fans, and the support received from the board, highlighting the way he and his family were welcomed in Belo Horizonte. Jardim emphasized that the decision was not related to financial or contractual issues, reinforcing that if he was not fully fit for the challenge, it made no sense to discuss other aspects of staying on.

“As a coach, you have to be at 200%, and I was always like that here. But I can’t give that now in January, next year. I’m taking my team off the field. I’m deeply grateful to work at Cruzeiro, a club of this size, with fantastic fans, with Pedrinho’s support to help me integrate well into Belo Horizonte society. And my family… they were well integrated on all levels. So I have to thank you. But my reasons… I want to spend some time with my family, with my parents, I want to sort out things in my life. There’s no point in talking about other matters, money, contract, if I’m not 100%, there’s no point in discussing other situations.”

Asked whether he participated in the process of searching for a new coach, Leonardo Jardim took a cautious tone and avoided interfering in the process.

“Honestly, it would be unfair of me to give opinions about the future, with qualified people to make those decisions. At this moment, Pedrinho is no longer my president. If he wants advice, I can give it. I like to let people work. That’s why I believe the structure is in place to work in the best way, and at this moment they don’t need Jardim’s help.”

In addition to the farewell topic, Jardim also answered questions about his career in football, his impressions of Brazilian football, Cruzeiro’s structure, and the potential of the young players in the squad. In a calm tone, the coach reinforced his confidence in the club’s future and ended his tenure highlighting the pride he felt for the work accomplished.

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