Tite visits Cruzeiro training ground, calls new role a big challenge | OneFootball

Coach Tite spoke for the first time as the new head of Cruzeiro on Tuesday afternoon, during a visit to Toca da Raposa II. In his initial statements, the coach highlighted the great responsibility of taking charge of a club of Raposa’s stature and emphasized the importance of unity between the fans and the institution for the continuation of the evolution process.

“First, my gratitude for the greatness of Cruzeiro and for the responsibility that comes with it. There is a whole team, a family, as the president said. Being able to contribute my share to the club’s success is fundamental. And this success also depends on you, on the affection shown to the players and the management. May we, together, achieve the success that every fan imagines, and so do we,” he said in an interview with TV Cruzeiro.

During the visit to the training center, Tite was accompanied by president Pedro Lourenço and vice-president Pedro Júnior, getting to know the club’s entire structure and facilities up close.

The coach signed a contract with Cruzeiro until the end of 2026 and arrives to replace the Portuguese Leonardo Jardim. Despite the good work done with the team, the European coach chose to leave the club and is expected to retire from the role.

Tite’s Recent Work

Cruzeiro will be the first team Tite will coach after leaving Flamengo in September 2024. With the Rubro-Negro, the coach was on the sidelines for 68 matches, with 41 wins, 11 draws, and 16 losses.

After his departure from Flamengo, the coach came very close to returning to Corinthians in the first half of 2025, but when the deal was practically done, Tite claimed to be facing a health issue and canceled the agreement.

After that, he declared a sabbatical to take care of his health and, recently, announced that he was recovered and ready to return to work.

(Photo: Marcelo Cortes /CRF)

Between 2016 and 2022, Tite was the coach of the Brazilian National Team. With Brazil, the coach achieved impressive numbers: 81 matches, 60 wins, 15 draws, and six losses.

In 2019, he won the Copa América held in Brazil, his only title with the National Team. In the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, however, he was eliminated twice in the quarterfinals, by Belgium and Croatia, respectively.

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