Brazil is one of the best and most blessed footballing nations in the world. The number of footballing talents that have emerged from the South American country is so huge the list is endless
From the late Pele to Ronald Delima, Ronaldinho, to Neymar and an upcoming generation of talents- Brazil never lacks.
However, who are the latest Brazilian youngsters coming into the limelight in 2024?, Let’s take you through seven of the very best of them.
1. Endrick
Position: FW
Perhaps the most popular teenager in Brazil right now is Endrick, the 18 year old winger joined Real Madrid in January 2024 and even before his move was confirmed, he was heavily in the news for his performance is for his club Palmerias in the Brazilian topflight.
He was born on 21 July 2006 in Taguatinga, a city in the Federal District of Brazil. He started playing football at the age of four, and joined the Palmeiras youth team at the age of 11. He scored 165 goals in 169 games for Palmeiras youth teams, and won the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior in 2022, where he was voted the Player of the Tournament. He made his senior debut for Palmeiras in October 2022, becoming the youngest player to appear for the club.
Those performance earned him the ticket to get the attention of Europe’s biggest club sides and it is Real Madrid who got their hands on him first, after the Spanish club agreed to pay a €45 million transfer fee for him. Although few non Brazilians followed him when he was in the Brazilian top flight, many others would definitely want to see how he will perform with Real Madrid when he finally makes his debut.
They would also have to opportunity of seeing him at the 2024 Olympics and he might just be one of the partners in crime with fellow Brazilians Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo in the Real Madrid squad in the future.
2. Vitor Roque
Position: FW
While Endrick joined Real Madrid, another Brazilian youngster joined the Los Blancos’ rivals Barcelona in December for a transfer fee of €45 million, his name is Vitor Roque.
Born on 28th February, 2005 in Timóteo, a city in Minas Gerais. He began his career at América Mineiro, before joining Cruzeiro in 2019. He made his professional debut in 2021, and scored six goals in 14 appearances for the club. He then moved to Athletico Paranaense in 2022, where he became the club’s record signing and scored 21 goals in 60 games.
Roque like Endrick has made his Brazilian debut at the International stage and this was after he emerged as the top scorer for the South American U-20 Championships in 2023, the 19 years also played in South America Copa libertardores.
Vitor Roque is a center forward, a position where Brazil have not been lucky and fortunate in the last two decades but first, many would want to see how this young man will perform in 2024 in Barcelona to see if he will be the solution to that problem.
also read: Top 5 Argentina Youngsters to Watch In 2024
3. Luiz Guilherme
Position: WF
This is another Brazilian teenage sensation that should be looked out for. Luiz Guilherme is an 18 year old talented midfielder who plays for Palmeiras and the Brazil U-20 team. He was born on 9 February 2006 in Aracaju, a city in the north of Brazil. He started playing football at the school level and joined Palmeiras in 2017, after impressing the scouts with his skills. He signed his first professional contract with the club in June 2022, and made his senior debut in April 2023, in a Copa do Brasil match against Tombense. He has also represented Brazil at various youth levels, and won the South American U-20 Championship in 2023, where he played alongside Endrick and Vitor Roque.
However, unlike his Palmerias teammates, he has not secured a move to any European Club.
However, that is expected to be a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’. Guilherme is valued at around €10M and his qualities on the wings is just too raw yet but if he keeps up at Palmerias, he could be moving to Europe sooner rather than later.
4. Deivid Washington
Deivid Washington has been compared to Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic in terms of style of play and at just 18, the Chelsea youngster has enough time to develop into a beast of a striker.
Born on June 5, 2005 in Itumbiara, a city in the state of Goiás, Brazil; Deivid Wahington started his football career at Grêmio, where he was spotted by former Brazil international Marcos Assunção, who introduced him to Santos in 2016. He signed his first professional contract with Santos in 2021, when he was 16 years old, with a release clause of R$ 100 million (about € 15 million) and made his senior debut for Santos in April 2023, in a Copa do Brasil match against Botafogo-SP, and scored his first goal in May 2023, in a Série A match against Bahia.
He played 16 games for Santos in 2023, scoring two goals and assisting three more, before joining Chelsea in August 2023 for a reported fee of € 25 million. He made his Premier League debut for Chelsea in October 2023, in a 2-0 loss to Brentford, and that’s about it.
He can feature on the two sides of the wings if the center forward position is unavailable to him.
5. Victor Hugo
Position: CM
Victor Hugo is another Brazilian teenager to watch out for in 2024, the Midfielder is enjoying time under Jorge Sampaoli at Flamengo which suggests that he could be a huge weapon in the midfield under a good manager.
Hugo knows how to use spaces in the midfield and can read the game at his tender 19 years of age. The teenager is one Brazilian youngster that Europe’s big guns are monitoring and could be the next big Brazilian midfield maestro.
Barcelona Real Madrid and Newcastle are some of the clubs that have been linked to the player who can also play as a number 10.
image source: Getty Images
6. Vitor Reis
Position: CB
Vitor Reis is one of the youngest names on this list and is still virtually unknown but not in terms of qualities. The 18-year-old showed that aplenty in the last FIFA U17 World Cup in Indonesia last year.
He is considered one of the next set of top talents that would come into Europe from Brazil but he certainly still has a long way to go.
7. Lucas Beraldo
Position: CB
Guess the latest young Brazilian who just signed for PSG in France? Yes, Lucas Beraldo has slowly but steadily risen from Brazilian football into Europe through PSG.
The 20-year-old is a center-back who once played for Sao Paolo in Brazil before traveling abroad. His composure and confidence in possession in defence is a beauty to behold, perhaps it is the reason PSG beat Liverpool to his signature.
