Top ten Brazilian youngsters destined for greatness. Barcelona, Porto, and Benfica targets included…
Brazil has a long history of producing some of the world’s greatest footballing talent; the likes of Neymar, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Pele mentioned alongside the best ever to play the game.
But who are the next generation of top Brazilian prodigies?
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Here are ten of the top young Brazilian talents in the world at the moment:
10) Daniel – Botafogo – 20
A tricky attacking player, Daniel made a meteoric rise with Botafogo after being scouted playing in the lower leagues.
He has gone from being a total unknown to being a big part of the first team in just one year.
Unfortunately suffered a nasty injury recently, but if he can recover from it then he could be a future star.
9) Carlos Carvalho – Atletico Mineiro – 19
A highly promising young striker, Carlos is yet to replicate the prolific goalscoring form he showed throughout his youth career for the first team, but certainly has the potential.
Quick and skillful he could well turn out to be a fantastic forward someday.
8) Alison – Santos – 21
Santos have spawned a number of fantastic young talents over the years, but more often than not they have been tricky wingers or prolific forwards.
Alison is a powerful defensive midfielder however, and if he can fine tune a few elements of his game that are currently lacking then he could have a bright future ahead of him.
7) Auro – Sao Paulo – 18
This pacey right-back is already an established first team player despite being just 18-years-old.
He possesses typical Brazilian flair and attacking prowess, although he may need to improve on the defensive side of his game if he hopes to make a move to one of the bigger leagues.
6) Douglas Coutinho – Atletico Paranaense – 20
Able to play all across the front line, Coutinho is a superb finisher as well as having extremely quick feet.
He will definitely be one to watch and could be on the move sooner rather than later.
5) Erik – Goias – 20
At just 20-years-old he is already the first choice striker at his current club Goias. His form has already attracted the attention of Benfica and Porto, so we could soon see Erik make the switch to Europe.
4) Gabriel Barbosa – Santos – 18
Labelled the next Neymar, Gabriel (Gabigol) Barbosa has been prolific for Santos recently. He is fast, strong, and an excellent finisher, and with plenty of time to develop he could actually end up living up to the hype attached to him at the moment.
Already linked with a move to Barcelona Gabigol could follow in his compatriot’s footsteps and make the switch to La Liga.
3) Malcom – Corinthians – 17
Deployed mostly on the flanks Malcom has almost everything you could ask for from a winger. He has pace to burn, an excellent cross, and is exceptionally skilled on the ball.
His finishing tends to let him down somewhat, but at just 17-years-old that may come with more experience.
2) Samir – Flamengo – 19
A tall and powerful centre-back, Samir is arguably one of the most promising defenders in Brazil.
His tackling and positioning are both superb, and he is versatile enough to play in other defensive roles as well.
1) Thalles – Vasco – 19
Currently playing in Serie B with Vasco, Thalles is already a fantastic striker and only looks to be improving.
He is strong both on and off the ball, and is an excellent finisher. He does need to improve his heading ability however if he is to become the complete forward he has the potential to become.