Cruzeiro Esporte Clube (commonly known as Cruzeiro and nicknamed Raposa (English: Fox), is one of the biggest Brazilian (and South American) multisport clubs; based in Barro Preto, Belo Horizonte. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Cruzeiro is mostly known for its association football team. It plays in the Campeonato Mineiro, the state of Minas Gerais's premier state league, as well as in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, the second tier of the Brazilian football league system.
The club was founded on January 2, 1921 by sportsmen from the Italian colony of Belo Horizonte, some members of Yale Atlético Clube and many Italian immigrant workers decided to create a new club called Societá Sportiva Ypiranga, changing the name months later to Palestra Mineiro and after...