The At. Mineiro did not win the Brasileirao again, after a fifty-year hiatus, just by chance. The traditional Belo Horizonte club was, along with Flamengo (which had won the last two championships) and Palmeiras (which has linked two Libertadores in a row) one of the favorites for the title. His victory, mathematically confirmed two days in advance, It is a direct consequence of good sports management in recent years, combined with a solid financial investment.
A TEMPLATE MADE TO HIT THE HEEL
A group of four investors led by the businessman Rubens Menin, who is estimated to have a personal fortune that reaches a billion dollars, has forever changed the history of the Galo Thanks to their contributions, In two seasons, it has been possible to hire a series of footballers who have placed At. Mineiro on the front lines of South American football: Hulk, Diego Costa, Guilherme Arana, Allan, Junior Alonso, Alan Franco, Zaracho, Nacho Fernández, Savarino, Vargas, Keno …
THE INHERITANCE OF JORGE SAMPAOLI
The At. Mineiro did not start from scratch in 2021. The previous season, under the direction of the charismatic Jorge Sampaoli the foundations of a champion team were laid. With the approval of the directive, the Argentine coach, now at the Olympique de Marseille, cleaned a well-off locker room, implemented a very offensive game system and began to sign quality players, which are the basis of this year’s successes. Sampaoli did not win any of the great titles, but he did an extraordinary job.
The Hulk is performing at a very high level in the At. Mineiro
| Pedro Souza / Athletic
HULK, THE COMMITTED CRACK
He is the top scorer for Brasileirao, with 18 goals, to which we must add 7 assists. At the age of 35, in his first season in Belo Horizonte, he has already counted 33 goals and 13 goals. It is about the player who makes the difference. The crack of the team. After five seasons in the Shanghai SIPG, of the Chinese Super League, he has left those who questioned his signing without arguments: he did not return to his country to retire but to expand his curriculum. Form a deadly ‘duo’ with Diego Costa, which tends to go higher in 2022.
THE MANAGEMENT OF CUCA
He left Santos, after being runner-up in the Libertadores, and agreed to face his second stage at At. Mineiro, where he had already won the club’s only Copa Libertadores (2013). He was received with reluctance by the crooked, but his work is close to perfection: champion of the Mineiro Championship, of the Brasileirao, finalist of the Copa do Brasil (he will now play a double game against Ath. Parananese) and eliminated in the semifinals of the Libertadores a hands of Palmeiras, who would end up taking the title.
He had a stroke with the Hulk at the beginning of the season and Cuca knew how to handle it perfectly. He has had a staff with many troops in tension throughout the course. His offensive football pleases his pupils a lot.
HUNGER FOR TITLES
The regularity of the At. Mineiro cannot be understood throughout the season without a changing room that is absolutely tense and eager to make history. El Galo has been a roller all season and only failed in the second leg of the Libertadores semifinals. The prospects for 2022 are the best possible because it will keep the block of players. His challenge is the continental scepter.
