As for the two players I mentioned (Arthur and Lucas Paquetá), I'm seriously impressed with them. It's always tough to make predictions with young players but I do hope we have our scouts in South America and that they're on our radar.
Arthur is only 21 and plays as a central/defensive midfielder for Grêmio, who have just won the Copa Libertadores (South America's equivalent to the Champions League) on Wednesday. Despite the early age, I'd say him and Luan (a forward who some might remember from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games) are the best players in that team. Luan is very gifted technically, but Arthur is my favourite. His ability on the ball is really second to none in Brazil, he takes possession in very congested areas and keeps the ball moving. Gremio have been playing some good stuff of late and he was immense in that title. Lots of rumours that clubs like Barcelona are interested on him.
Video of his performance in the 2nd leg of the Libertadores final against Lanús (Argentina):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkcQK5WjqSELucas Paquetá plays for my team in Brazil, Flamengo. He was a starter last night when we beat Junior from Colombia and qualified to the Copa Sudamericana (South America's equivalent to the Europa League) final against Independiente from Argentina. He's a different story as he's only recently gained his spot in the starting eleven, but the maturity he shows with the ball is unbelievable. He rarely loses possession and is often the one taking the ball forward, a creative spark in the team, almost always finding someone with his positive passing, whilst more experienced players have been uninspiring and too conservative.
Flamengo have Diego (former Werder Bremen, Juventus, Wolfsburg, Atlético Madrid, etc) in midfield but if you ask me, I think Lucas Paquetá is already performing better than him. He is young and makes mistakes, as is expected of a 20 year old, but with each game I become more and more impressed with him. He also runs a lot, is quite fast, and is very adept at pressing the opposition. I do hope he stays with Flamengo for a few years and then, if he continues progressing, I'd love to see him doing well in Europe.
For those who like youtube scouting...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11ePfq8Z0qg
« Last Edit: Dec 01, 2017 01:46:28 pm by Diego LFC »
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