There have long been three fabled talent bases in the world responsible for producing an incredible number of professional footballers; south London, Paris and Sao Paulo in Brazil.
It’s certainly not just Sao Paulo where the best Brazilian talent hails from, though. The South American country has developed some of the most incredible footballers the world has ever seen and there is little sign that trend is going to stop.
Every top club in Europe has scouts dedicated to spotting the best talent in Brazil. Vinicius Junior is the poster boy right now but there are so many who went before him and more who will come after.
The next two are set to be Endrick and Vitor Roque, who will join Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively in the summer of 2024.
Here are five players still in Brazil who could find themselves heading to Europe in big deals in the near future.
The speed with which European teams snap up Brazilian talent these days makes it very hard to know who will go next, but Victor Hugo’s time in Brazil will surely soon be over.
The 19-year-old is a central midfielder who has already made 60 appearances for Flamengo’s first team. He has grabbed five goals in that time, earning links to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Newcastle.
Expect his name to feature in the headlines in the next few months.
Sticking with Flamengo, there is very rarely just one talented young player in their squad at any given moment. 19-year-old right winger Matheus Franca has already played 54 times for Flamengo and scored nine times.
Chelsea have been touted as his most likely destination and he has earned comparisons to Vinicius Junior given he occupies the same position.
He is rated at around £21m and would increase the contingent of young Brazilians at Stamford Bridge with Angelo Gabriel recently signing from Santos.
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Marcos Leonardo is a 20-year-old striker who has developed at Santos and could soon be in line for his big move to Europe. You can tell there’s hype because there are plenty of YouTube compilations of him.
Leonardo already has an incredible amount of experience for his age, scoring 44 times alongside 11 assists in 146 appearances for Santos.
Lazio have seemed the most interested club in Europe, but it is not yet clear where he may end up.
At just 17 years old, Luis Guilherme is one of the younger stars in the Brazilian Serie A. The attacking midfielder has only played 13 times for Palmeiras’ first team but it often doesn’t take long for a Brazilian attacker to be noticed.
Real Madrid and Manchester City, two sides that are quickest to act when it comes to young Brazilians, have been linked.
There have been some superb left-backs out of Brazil over the years and Patryck Lanza could become one of them if he gets the right move. While not a player necessarily expected to change the world, the 20-year-old could soon be due a move.
Coming from Sao Paulo, he automatically has a certain level of pedigree. Patryck seems to be very popular among those that play Football Manager and FIFA, so expect to see him pop up in Europe in the near future.
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