Liga MX veteran coach Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti has been selected as the new manager of Cruz Azul, the club announced on Wednesday.
The 69-year-old Brazilian coach will replace Raul "Potro" Gutierrez, who was fired by the team last week.
"It's an excellent opportunity to be able to coach one of the biggest teams in the country like Cruz Azul, one of the 'Big Four,' so it's a great feeling," said the manager when he arrived in Mexico City just hours before the announcement.
Sabemos que vienes a darlo todo, ¡caghajo!
— CRUZ AZUL (@CruzAzul) February 23, 2023
¡Bienvenido, "Tuca"! 👨🏻#AzulDePorVida pic.twitter.com/Lm1kA42zLw
According to ESPN MX, Ferretti signed a three-year contract with Cruz Azul and is expected to be officially presented on Thursday. As part of his coaching staff, Ferretti will have Guillermo Vazquez Jr. and Joaquin Moreno as his assistants. Moreno served as interim manager for Cruz Azul after Gutierrez's firing and will lead the club in Wednesday's regular season match against Atlas.
Cruz Azul have struggled so far in the 2023 Clausura and didn't claim their first win until last Friday when Moreno led the squad to a 3-1 away result over Puebla.
Ferretti's role with Cruz Azul marks the seventh club that he's managed in Liga MX after previously coaching Pumas, Chivas, Tigres, Toluca, Morelia and FC Juarez.
Although the Brazilian won league titles with Chivas and Pumas, he made a name for himself as one of the most accomplished coaches taking home five Liga MX trophies with Tigres in the 2011 Apertura, 2015 Apertura, 2016 Apertura, 2017 Apertura and 2019 Clausura.