Kaio Jorge reached 12 goals in the Brazilian Championship by scoring in the 2-0 victory over Fluminense, this Thursday (17/7)
If he’s not sold to European football this year, Kaio Jorge could become the second Cruzeiro player to finish the Brazilian Championship as top scorer. He reached 12 goals with a 2-0 victory over Fluminense this Thursday (July 17th) at Maracanã, in the 14th round.
The 23-year-old forward opened up a three-goal lead over second in the rankings, Uruguayan Giorgian De Arrascaeta of Flamengo. In third place is Pablo Vegetti, Vasco’s Argentine center forward, with eight goals. Until now, the only Cruzeiro player to reach the top scorer’s spot in a Brasileirão was Tostão, in 1970, with 12 goals in 18 games.
In a system completely different from the points-based era, Raposa finished the competition in fourth place, behind Atlético, Palmeiras, and champion Fluminense. The competition featured 17 teams divided into two groups – one with eight and the other with nine players. The first and second from each group advanced to the final quadrangular.
In other editions, Celeste strikers hit the post. Roberto César scored 12 goals in 1979, one less than his near namesake César, of América-RJ. In 1994, Ronaldo Fenômeno also scored 12 goals, while Santos’ Guga scored 14. In 1999, Alex Alves scored 22 goals in the qualifying round, but was surpassed by Atlético’s Guilherme, who jumped from 16 to 28 goals, racking up 12 in the eight best-of-three playoff games of the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final.
In the 2003 Brasileirão, the first of the points-based era, Cruzeiro was crowned champion with 100 points – 31 wins, seven draws and eight losses in 46 rounds. Four players from that squad scored more than 72% of the 102 goals: Alex (23), Aristizábal (21), Deivid (15) and Mota (15). However, they were behind Dimba, from Goiás (31); Renaldo, from Paraná (30); and Luis Fabiano, from São Paulo (29).
The caveat regarding Deivid is that he was sold to Bordeaux, France, in July 2003, before Cruzeiro faced Paraná Clube at Mineirão Stadium in the 20th round. The center forward had 15 goals in 19 matches and shared the top scorer spot with São Paulo’s Luís Fabiano. Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, held 75% of the number 9’s economic rights and traded him for US$5.1 million. Raposa pocketed a US$1 million showcase fee after failing to purchase 50% of the player’s “transfer” for US$2.5 million.
A similar situation occurred in 2005, when Fred led the Brasileirão’s scoring charts with 13 goals in 21 appearances. In August of that year, Cruzeiro accepted a €14.9 million (R$44 million) offer from Lyon, France, for the 21-year-old center forward. Ultimately, Vasco’s Romário finished Série A with the most goals (22), followed by Paysandu’s Robson (21); Corinthians’ Carlitos Tévez; and Internacional’s Rafael Sobis (both with 20).
Kaio Jorge at Cruzeiro
Kaio Jorge was acquired by Cruzeiro in June 2024. Juventus of Italy announced they would receive €7.2 million for the player – €4 million fixed and the remainder in bonuses and targets. At the exchange rate at the time, this was equivalent to R$41 million.
After a shaky start, the striker took off in the Copa Sudamericana, scoring five goals in five games – including in a 3-1 defeat to Racing of Argentina in a single-match final in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. In 2025, Kaio Jorge barely played in the Campeonato Mineiro due to a muscle injury in his right thigh. After recovering from the injury, the number 19 became a regular starter, leaving Gabi, a major signing from Flamengo, on the bench. The Santos product scored two goals in two Copa do Brasil games and 12 in 13 Brasileirão matches. In his one-year spell at Cruzeiro, he has 21 goals in 46 games, a statistic that puts him close to equaling Edu (22 goals in 48 games) for the club’s top scorers since 2020.
