Former Brazilian striker Ronaldo made his debut this Wednesday as owner of Cruzeiro with a 3-0 win over URT at the Mineiro Championship, a match that he witnessed at the Independencia stadium in Belo Horizonte.
“We are going to build an incredible story. We are all excited,” the former Real Madrid and Barcelona player told reporters at the end of the match.
Cruzeiro prevailed in its debut at the Mineiro Championship, the tournament that brings together the most powerful clubs in the state of Minas Gerais (southeast), with goals from Thiago, on the brink of rest, and from Filipe Machado and Edú, in the second time.
During the game, the fans dedicated some welcome songs to Ronaldo, who also owns the Spanish team Real Valladolid.
The sky-blue team, led by Uruguayan coach Paulo Pezzolano, Its main objective for this year is to climb to the First Division of the Brazilian Championship and solve its economic crisis.
“The road is going to be long, with many obstacles, but we are eager and determined,” Ronaldo said today, who last Monday paid a millionaire amount of debts that prevented Cruzeiro from signing reinforcements.
The two-time world champion with Canarinha (1994 and 2002) said that this start of the season will help the squad “adapt to the new project ideas” they have designed.
“At first we will have some difficulty, but our goal is the Brazilian Championship and arrive with maximum strength, with everyone adapted to the new project, to climb to the First Division,” he said.
Ronaldo Luiz Nazário de Lima announced on December 18 the purchase for about 73 million dollars of 90% of the shares of Cruzeiro, where he began his professional career at the age of 16.
Weeks after his announcement, in his first press conference in Belo Horizonte as owner of the Brazilian club, he was surprised by the high debt of the entity and announced that he would take the “unpopular actions” that were necessary to solve the crisis.
“It’s a tragic scenario, but we have to stop the bleeding. The Cruzeiro is a patient in serious condition,” he said then.
