Club: Cruzeiro Esporte Clube

Season / period: around 2016–2017

• City / state: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
• Stadium: Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto (Mineirão)
• Founded: 1921 (originally as Palestra Itália)
• Colors / badge: Blue and white
• Nickname: Raposa (The Fox)
• Main rival: Atlético Mineiro (Clássico Mineiro)

Head coach: Mano Menezes (appointed in 2016)

Context and highlights (2016–2017):

• Mano Menezes returned to Cruzeiro in 2016 and led the team through the 2016–2017 period, bringing tactical organization and stability to the squad.
• The most notable achievement in this period was winning the 2017 Copa do Brasil, a major national cup that restored silverware to the club and secured qualification for the following edition of the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores.
• Domestically the club competed across the usual calendar: the Campeonato Mineiro (state championship) and Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, alongside national cup competition(s).
• Cruzeiro’s squad in this era combined long-serving club figures and experienced professionals with younger prospects, with club legend Fábio established as a long-time goalkeeper and leader of the dressing room.

Mano Menezes — brief profile:

• Brazilian coach with prior experience at top Brazilian clubs and the Brazil national team (2010–2012).
• Known for organized, pragmatic teams emphasizing defensive structure and effective transitions into attack.
• At Cruzeiro his tenure (beginning in 2016) is remembered chiefly for the 2017 Copa do Brasil triumph.

Significance: The 2016–2017 period under Mano Menezes provided Cruzeiro with renewed competitive stability and culminated in national cup success, reinforcing the club’s standing among Brazil’s leading teams and earning continental qualification.