Fabricio Bruno tops Cruzeiro minutes in the 2026 season | OneFootball

Cruzeiro’s run of matches in 2026 helps explain the heavy workload accumulated by some players in the squad. So far, the team has already taken the field 34 times this season, splitting its focus between the Mineiro, the Brazilian Championship, the Copa Libertadores, and the Copa do Brasil.

Among the most-used players, Fabricio Bruno leads the minutes-played list, with 2,693 minutes in 30 matches. Right behind him are Kaiki, with 2,570 minutes in 29 games, and Matheus Pereira, who has 2,569 minutes, also in 30 matches. The group of the five most-used players also includes Christian, with 2,235 minutes in 30 games, and Gerson, with 2,165 minutes in 29 matches.

The numbers show a core group that has been getting consistent playing time throughout the year, especially during a tighter stretch of the calendar. Since the start of the season, Cruzeiro has gone through weeks with matches at short intervals, alternating between domestic and continental commitments, a scenario that has increased the physical demands on part of the squad. With the Brazilian Championship starting in January, the team had to manage matches in the country’s main tournament alongside the state championship, which it ended up winning by beating rival Atlético 1-0.

The high minute totals also reflect the club’s current situation in the competitions. In the Copa do Brasil, the team eliminated Goiás and secured a place in the round of 16, now awaiting the draw to find out its next opponent. In the Libertadores, Cruzeiro enters the final stretch of the group stage depending only on its own results to advance to the knockout round, after a group that featured closely contested matches among the teams throughout the campaign.

In the Brazilian Championship, the team is still looking to solidify its position in the table after a disastrous start under Tite, when it went eight rounds without a win and even dropped to the bottom of the standings. Since the arrival of Artur Jorge, the team has been recovering and is looking to make the most of a run of home matches before the competitions pause for the World Cup. It currently sits in 13th place, with 20 points after 16 rounds.

Cruzeiro players with the most minutes in 2026:

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