Scouting goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao – Brazil’s U17 world cup star
This young teenager is yet to make a first-team appearance for Cruzeiro and yet, he is being targeted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs. His goalkeeping prowess has attracted interest from all over the world and at just 18, this boy has a massive future ahead of him.
While he currently plays for the Cruzeiro B team, he is a first-team option although he hasn’t played for them yet. This could mostly be down to the fact that Cruzeiro unbelievably have 5 goalkeepers in their ranks.
Brazao is the youngest of the lot at 18 while the regular goalkeeper Fabio is 20 years older. With more than 800 club appearances under his belt, Fabio has successfully kept Brazao out of the first team so far.
Looks like it’s only a matter of time before the young Brazilian is the next big star.
Background
Born in the Uberlandia municipal region of Brazil, Brazao had a physically imposing figure right from a young age. Having already crossed 6ft 3in at 18 years old, it’s as if he was always meant to be a goalkeeper.
He was drafted into the famous Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte academy at a very young age and has always stayed with the club. He featured for Cruzeiro at multiple youth levels. He was part of the youth team that won the Sudamericano U17 tournament that took place in 2017.
He was also part of the Brazil squad that went to India to take place in the U17 Fifa world cup and finished in 3rd place. But the important point is that Brazao was the recipient of the Golden Glove award – given to the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
Playing Style
As mentioned earlier, Brazao is already much bigger than boys his age and hence his jumping range is absolutely immense. For a big man, he does showcase the mobility and reactions of a top-level goalkeeper. Trained in Brazil, he has a typical Brazilian mentality which gives him a keen eye to pick out passes and long throws for his teammates.
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The Way Forward
Frustrated by not being able to make it into the Cruzeiro first team, Brazao could be looking for a move away from Brazil to develop at a better rate. With The Sun reporting that Manchester United and Arsenal have been keeping a close on the player, it seems more and more likely that this talented youngster’s time in his home country is slowly coming to a close.