A few months ago a website wanted to pay me good money to go to Santos and write a profile piece on the team’s young striker Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa. And I ended up talking myself out of a lucrative commission. The idea started to lose appeal when he did little of note at the start of the year in the South American Under-20 Championships. And it died a death when he was not even selected […]
The Brasileirão has always been a place where many top players shine for the first time, and whilst that isn’t happening as regularly as it used to, there are still a few young players who have impressed this season. Here are some of them: Alison (Santos, 21 years old) Unlike previous promising players at Santos, Alison is a defensive midfielder. His good positioning and tackling have seen him called up for Brazil’s Olympic team on […]
Brazil under-20s coach Alexandre Gallo, has assembled a squad of young players who will take part in this years Torneo Internacional de Fútbol Sub-20 de L’Alcúdia. The tournament, thankfully shortened to COTIF, takes place in L’Alcúdia, Valencia, and features a mixture of club and international teams. This years participants are Brazil, Argentina, Lvante U.D., Ecuador, China, Mauritania, Barcelona, Valencia, Qatar, and Indonesia. Here are Brazil’s fixtures: 12th August – Brazil 1-1 Qatar 14th August – Brazil […]
Santos come in this year’s Brasileirão on the back of six consecutive appearances in the final of the Campeonato Paulista. It’s a run that stretches back to Neymar’s debut season as a professional back in 2009. However, the club’s displays in the league in recent years lie at the other end of the spectrum. The last serious charge for the title was all the way back in 2007. Will this year be an different? The […]
Brazil defeated hosts UAE in the FIFA U17s World Cup, repeating the 6-1 score line from their first game against Slovakia. The first game belonged to Atlético Paranaense duo, Nathan and Mosquito, and whilst both players but in top performances in this second group A fixture, the real stars of the show were Boschilia of São Paulo, and Gabriel of Santos. Gabriel is one of the much hyped players in this Brazil youth side, and his […]