Cruzeiro Esporte Clube (Brazilian Portuguese: [kɾuˈzejɾu esˈpoʁtʃi ˈklubi]), known simply as Cruzeiro, is a Brazilian sports club based in Belo 🌛 Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

Although competing in a number of different sports, Cruzeiro is mostly known for its association football team.

Its football 🌛 team is the most prestigious team in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais.

It plays in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top 🌛 tier of the Brazilian football league system, as well as in the Campeonato Mineiro, the state of Minas Gerais's premier 🌛 state league.

The club was founded on 2 January 1921, by sportsmen from the Italian colony of Belo Horizonte as Palestra 🌛 Itália.