2. Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
History
Cruzeiro is a Brazilian multi-sport association based in Belo Horizonte - Minas Gerais, it is considered one of the biggest football clubs in Brazil and the world.
It was born through the effort of sportsmen from the Italian community in Belo Horizonte on January 2, 1921 with the name of Società Sportiva Palestra Itália.
Renamed to its current name in 1942 in reference to the Cruzeiro do Sul by imposition of the federal government which at the time prohibited the use in the country of any symbols of Germany, Italy and Japan, enemy nations of Brazil in the context of the Second World War. His uniform was green and red in honor of the Italian flag, but was changed to blue and white inspired by the Italy national team.
Titles and Stars
The first idols and achievements of Palestra date from the early years, such as the state championship in 1928, 1929 and 1930, with a team that included the legendary Ninão, Nininho, Bengala and Piorra.
In the following decades, what was seen was the growth of a giant, especially after the inauguration of the Magalhães Pinto Stadium, Mineirão, where Cruzeiro won the main titles in the history of football in Minas Gerais, stars such as Tostão, Piazza, Dirceu Lopes , Raul Plassmann, Zé Carlos, Palhinha, Joãozinho, the phenomenon Ronaldo, Ricardinho, Geovanni, Sorín, Alex, Fábio and other legends.
The team has become one of the Brazilian clubs with the highest number of international achievements, it is also recognized worldwide for its excellent structure and as one of the main talent revealers for football, as happened in relation to Ronaldo, Maicon, Gomes, Luisão, Wendell , Jussiêe, Belletti and others.
Best Brazilian Club of the 20th Century
In September 2009, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), a German entity recognized by FIFA, named Cruzeiro as the Best Brazilian Club of the 20th Century.
The institute took into account the performance of clubs around the world in competitions organized by continental federations and only confirmed what all those who closely follow the beautiful trajectory of the five-star team already knew.
Women's football
In 2019, Cruzeiro presented its first women's football team due to the new requirement from Conmebol and CBF to promote the sport.
The rule required clubs to have a women's football department, albeit in the form of a partnership with other existing teams, so that they could compete in their men's championships, such as Libertadores.
In its first season, the team reached the runner-up of the Brasileirão Feminino Série A2 and became champion of the Mineiro Feminino that year, winning its first title in the history of the modality.
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