Striker Thiago Galhardo, former Brazilian selection and Inter, made an unusual choice in his career: he will defend the colors of Santa Cruz, a club that disputes in Serie D in 2025.
At 35, the player acted for Goiás during Serie B 2024, on loan, and terminated friendly with Fortaleza Esporte Clube.
Presented to Santa February 19, Galhardo explained the reasons that made him opt for the choir club.
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The reasons for Thiago Galhardo to play at Santa Cruz
Thiago Galhardo had a contract with Fortaleza until the end of 2025, but was not part of the Pici Tricolor plans this season.
Thus, the striker was looking for a new club and, in an interview at the end of last season, revealed a preference for returning to play abroad – he already defended the colors of Albirex Niigata, in 2017, and Celta de Vigo in 2022.
Galhardo and Northeastern Football
In northeastern football, Galhardo has worked for America from Natal, Ceará and Fortaleza.
The destination, however, was Santa Cruz, a traditional Pernambuco football club that tries to rebuild, now as SAF and billionaire investment. In this context, Galhardo would be one of the protagonists of this new moment.
– I came for a project presented, where I have to dedicate myself and deliver. So, I chose to be here, I chose I came to Santa Cruz. I chose the D Series for a fresh start, not my career, but for a reconstruction of Santa Cruz. I want to participate in all the revitalization, which is already happening – said the striker, in a presentation interview.
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Admiration for the coral fans
The Santa Cruz fans, one of the largest in the state, celebrated the athlete’s hiring and welcomed Galhardo at the airport.
– What motivated me was not only the project, but also the name of Santa Cruz, the crowd that has here, the great players who have passed here and the desire to see all this here. Leo Moura, Graffiti, Keno, João Paulo, that group of 2016 shows how important the club is – highlighted.
Proximity to the family
The proximity to the family also caused Thiago Galhardo to retreat in the plans to return to foreign football.
“Dude, there’s a number of things when we talk about going out.” In my case, I played a year in Japan and stayed a year without seeing my son. I played 10 months in Spain and stayed a year without seeing my two children, ”said the center forward.
In 2024, when he defended the colors of Fortaleza, Thiago even asked for a license to take care of mental health, after attack on the club of the club executed by an organized fans of the Sport Club of Recife, after departure by the Northeast Cup.
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Thiago Galhardo: Controversies of the Center
Summoned for the Brazilian team by Tite, in 2020, Thiago Galhardo collects controversy in his career.
Inter scorer in the 2020 season, he left the club the following year with worn -out. Since then, he went through Celta de Vigo and Fortaleza and, in the last club, also left down with the fans.
In 2024, during a match between Ceará and Goiás, at Arena Castelão, he turned his back to the fans of the Ceará club during the execution of the national anthem and was booed. Galhardo worked for Ceará in 2019, with 34 games, 12 goals and one assistance.
In an interview with “Coralcast”, podcast dedicated to Santa, the new hiring compared to Neymar.
– Obviously you can’t compare with Neymar, it’s another world, but my coming to Santa Cruz moved with Brazil. Drop the fortress and come to Santa Cruz… No one expected. Despite being in Serie D, the Santa Cruz It’s very big, it’s going through a restructuring and I’m part of it, ”said Thiago.
It is noteworthy that before playing the first national division, Galhardo worked for alternative teams of Brazilian football, such as Bangu, Boa Esporte, Cametá, Brasiliense and Madureira, among others.
