O Cruzeiro 2009 foi vice-campeão da Copa Libertadores, perdendo a final para o Estudiantes de La Plata por 2 a 1 no Mineirão após empate sem gols na Argentina, e conquistou o Campeonato Mineiro.
Cruzeiro 2009
Cruzeiro 2009, managed by Adilson Batista, was Minas Gerais state champion and Copa Libertadores runner-up, defeated by Estudiantes de La Plata in the final played at Mineirão.
History
In 2009, Cruzeiro began the season by conquering the Minas Gerais Championship, their second consecutive state title. The squad, managed by Adilson Batista, featured goalkeeper Fábio, center-backs Gilberto and Leonardo Silva, midfielder Ramires, and forwards Kléber and Wellington Paulista as main players. In the Copa Libertadores, Raposa had a solid campaign until the decision against Estudiantes de La Plata. The first match, in Argentina, ended 0-0. At Mineirão, Cruzeiro opened the scoring with Henrique, but suffered the turnaround with goals by Juan Sebastián Verón and Mauro Boselli, losing 2-1 and finishing as continental runner-up. The season also marked Ramires' departure to Benfica, in a transaction that became one of the club's largest sales at that time. Despite the defeat in the final, the 2009 team is remembered as one of Cruzeiro's strongest teams in the decade, the foundation of the reconstruction that would lead to back-to-back Brazilian championships in 2013 and 2014.