5 young superstars who could break into the Brazil national team
Brazil are renowned for producing young, exciting players who are adept with dribbling and possess excellent traits with the ball. In the past, players like Pele, Garrincha, Ronaldo Nazario, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho dazzled on the biggest stage at a young age.
In Brazil, where street football is the norm, young players often find themselves pitted against much older opponents. Using their physique against bigger players is futile. But it is important for the younger ones to impose their personality on the game.
It is from these tough roots that gems are unearthed - players with the raw ability to run past opponents, take on multiple defenders at once, and score goals from virtually nothing.
It is the street football culture that forces these boys to 'grow up quick' on the pitch. Over the years, several players have made it from the favelas in Rio de Janeiro to wearing Brazil's Blue & Yellow on the biggest stage.
On that note, here's a look at five Brazilian youngsters currently making a big splash. They have exciting potential, so it remains to be seen what they can do with the Brazil national team. Without further ado, let's have a look at these five players:
#5 Reinier Jesus (Borussia Dortmund, on loan from Real Madrid)
Reinier Jesus Carvalho was born in 2002 in Brazil. He began his career at Vasco da Gama as an attacking midfielder in 2011. He went on to play for Botafogo and Fluminense for a year apiece before becoming an established youth player at Flamengo by 2014.
The Brazilian was promoted to the senior team in 2019, for whom he made14 appearances, scoring six goals. He was spotted by Real Madrid, and was signed on a huge €30 million fee in 2020. On his arrival, he was added to the roster for Real Madrid's reserve team Castilla.
After an underwhelming first few months in Spain, the Brazilian was loaned out to Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the season. On Tuesday in the Champions League, he played well against Besiktas, looking composed in midfield.
📊🇧🇷Reinier Jesus vs Besiktas:
45’ minutes played
34 touches
3 chances created
3 successful dribbles
22 accurate passes
85% pass accuracy
3 key passes
1 shot
1 cross
4 duels won
4 recoveries https://t.co/Gcwf3y5eiC
Carvalho has done extremely well for Brazil's youth teams, netting ten goals across 22 appearances at U-15, U-17 and U-23 age groups. He is quick with the ball, has good decision-making and composure, and has a knack of being in the right place at the right time.
It is only a matter of time before he knocks on Brazil coach Tite's door for selection in the senior team.
#4 Richarlison (Everton)
Richarlison de Andrade was born in Brazil in 1997, and began his career at Real Noroeste in 2013. He played for America Mineiro the following year, after which he was promoted to their senior team in 2015 following impressive performances.
In his first senior season, Richarlison won promotion for his side, scoring nine goals in 24 games. He was picked up by Fluminense, where he spent two years, scoring 19 goals. He was named in the team of the season in his second year.
The Brazilian was then spotted by Watford, and brought to England for £11.2 million in 2017. He won the Young Player of the Season in his first year with The Hornets. The Brazilian incredibly played in all of Watford's 38 league games that season.
🏆 | #watfordfc's Young Player of the Season for the 2017/18 campaign goes to Richarlison 👏👏👏
Well done, @richarlison97! 🇧🇷 https://t.co/WfZ6iywyH5
He then moved to Everton in 2018 for an initial £35 million potentially rising to £50 million. 'Richy' has made 129 appearances for The Toffees, scoring 45 goals and providing 11 assists.
Richarlison scored seven goals in 14 appearances for Brazil's youth teams, making his debut for the senior side in 2018 against the United States. He was also called up to Brazil's squad for the 2020 Summer Olympics. There he scored five goals, including a hat-trick against Germany to help them win gold.
It remains to be seen how the young striker establishes himself in the Brazil national side as he approaches his physical prime.