The Brazilian transfer market has witnessed a historic moment as Cruzeiro completed the most expensive deal in South American football history. The Belo Horizonte club secured Brazilian international midfielder Gerson Santos from Zenit St. Petersburg for a record €30 million, equivalent to around ৳427 crore.
The deal includes a base fee of €27 million, with an additional €3 million in performance-related add-ons. This move breaks the previous South American transfer record held by Palmeiras, who paid €25.5 million to sign Vitor Roque from Barcelona.
Cruzeiro’s Libertadores Dream With Gerson
Gerson has signed a four-year contract with Cruzeiro, marking a major statement of intent ahead of their return to the Copa Libertadores, where they will compete for the first time since 2019.
The 28-year-old midfielder is no stranger to success. He previously won the Copa Libertadores twice with Flamengo (2019 and 2022) and lifted the Brazilian league and Super Cup three times.
Speaking about the ambition behind the move, a club source said,
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒛𝒆𝒊𝒓𝒐’𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏.”
Gerson himself remains focused on success, stating earlier in his career,
“𝑰 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑰 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚.”
A Landmark Move in South American Football
Zenit had only signed Gerson from Flamengo six months ago for €25 million, making Cruzeiro’s investment even more remarkable. With 14 caps for Brazil since his debut in 2021, the midfielder brings both experience and leadership to the squad.
Cruzeiro now hopes that this record-breaking Brazilian transfer will be the key to reviving continental glory and finally lifting the Copa Libertadores once again.
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