Chosen by Cruzeiro to replace Leonardo Jardim at the helm, Tite will experience an eventful reunion with the Minas Gerais team. The 64-year-old coach will once again work with striker Gabigol, with whom he previously shared a dressing room at Flamengo and also with the Brazilian national team. The relationship between the two is not the best and the player has even expressed his dissatisfaction with the coach.
The fights between Tite and Gabigol began when the coach was leading the Brazilian team. At the time, the coach opted not to take the player to the 2022 World Cup. To celebrate that year’s Libertadores title, the red and black fans sang: “Hey, Tite, fuck you…, Gabigol doesn’t need you.” The striker took the microphone and replied: “I already play for a national team.”
The two men found themselves at Flamengo between 2023 and 2024. And the coach’s time with the red and black team was marked by the lack of opportunities for the striker. Under Tite’s command, Gabigol played 37 matches for Flamengo, 33 of them as a substitute, and scored only four goals. He had his second season with fewer minutes on the pitch in Brazilian football, just 1,472.
After the Copa do Brasil title, Gabigol recalled all the problems he went through during the 2024 season, such as the temporary suspension for doping. And he indirectly criticized Titus, without mentioning it.
— It was a difficult year for me individually, (there was) the doping problem, then a coach who didn’t respect me as a player. During those times, I never tried to express it one way or another, but it was a horrible moment for me. But I always worked, I always tried to improve. I always tried to show him that I could help him in some way, the attacker said.
Indirect presentation in Cruzeiro
Tite was one of the themes of Gabigol’s presentation in Cruzeiro earlier this year. During the press conference, SAF Celeste owner Pedro Lourenço joked that the striker would only leave the club if he hired a “certain coach”.
– He said that if a coach came there, he wouldn’t come – Pedrinho joked on January 4.
– I didn’t say it, but I say it now: it’s true – Gabigol replied.
From now on, Tite, who will replace Leonardo Jardim, will find Gabigol at the head of Cruzeiro. For the Minas Gerais team, the striker played 49 matches during the season, scoring 13 goals (2 in Copa Sudamericana, 5 in Campeonato Mineiro and 6 in Brasileirão). He even missed the decisive penalty that knocked Raposa out of the Copa do Brasil.
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