The striker announces that he will not stay at Flamengo and already has an agreement with the Minas Gerais club
Gabigol will play for Cruzeiro in 2025. After conquest from the Brazilian Cup against Atlético-MG, the striker revealed that he will not renew with Flamengo. The context he found in Belo Horizonte was different from the one he had experienced up until then in Rio.
Cruzeiro are still settling their scores, having spent years in Série B, becoming SAF with Ronaldo Fenômeno and, more recently, sold to entrepreneur Pedro Lourenço. The cast is much less starry than the red-black one.
Cruzeiro’s attack currently has eight players. The main player is, like Gabigol, a former Santos player. Kaio Jorge was signed by the Minas Gerais club from Juventus in May this year for 7.2 million euros (approximately R$41.5 million). The 22-year-old athlete’s contract is valid for 5 years. To date he has appeared on the pitch 22 times and scored five goals.
Forwards in the current Cruzeiro squad
- Lautaro Díaz (26 years old) – 18 games and 2 goals since June 2024.
- Gabriel Verón (22 years old) – 33 games and 6 goals since January 2024.
- Rafa Silva (32 years old) – 17 games and 4 goals since January 2024.
- Kaio Jorge (22 years old) – 22 games and 5 goals since May 2024.
- Juan Dinnenno (30 years old) – 22 games and 8 goals since March 2024.
- Álvaro Barreal (24 years old) – 38 games and 2 goals since March 2024.
There are also two boys in attack: Kenji and Tevis, both 18 years old. Only the second ever entered the field, just once.
Weaker state and possibility of being the protagonist of the return to the Libertadores
Cruzeiro is 7th in the Brasileirão, with 47 points. The team wants to qualify for the Libertadores, a competition in which it has not played since 2019, the year in which it fell to Série B. Gabigol has already proved decisive in the tournament, with goals in three finals played and two titles.
In Minas Gerais he will immediately find a state championship that is less competitive than that of Carioca. Just as the striker will have to prove his worth, after two seasons below what he has already shown, Cruzeiro will have a test at the start of the season, as they intend to stop rival Atlético-MG’s championship run, which already lasts for five years.
Gabigol will have to work with Fernando Diniz for the first time. The coach was hired in September and has an agreement valid until the end of 2025. The new reinforcement could be the striker who will give confidence to Cruzeiro’s attack, given that today there is no unanimity in the team.
Another expectation is how Gabigol will collaborate with Matheus Pereira. If at Flamengo the player had Arrascaeta and Bruno Henrique as his main teammates, Cruzeiro’s number 10 is the athlete who should stand out alongside Gabriel. He was recently called up by Dorival Júnior for the Brazilian team and scored 9 goals in 54 games for the Minas Gerais team.
Gabigol’s salary at Flamengo is estimated between R$1.3 million and R$1.5 million. At Cruzeiro, the expectation is that the value reaches R$ 2 million, in a deal valid for four years.
At 28, Gabigol will leave Flamengo with 303 games and 160 goals. He arrived at the club in 2019, on loan from Inter. At the beginning of the following year, the team paid 18 million euros (83.5 million reais) for 90% of his rights. Revealed at Santos, the striker will play for his third club in Brazil.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
