As far as inspirations go, there are few better than Vinicius Jr for a teenage Brazilian taking the first small steps in his own footballing journey.
Eyebrows were raised in their thousands when Real Madrid invested a staggering £40 million in a 16-year-old forward back in 2017. Five years on, Vinicius tapping home a Fede Valverde cross as Los Blancos defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final in Paris, it’s fair to say that faith is being re-paid with interest.
This is not to say Matheus Franca will emulate Vinicius’ remarkable achievements this side of the Atlantic. But with Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Vini Jr’s very own Real Madrid keeping tabs on the latest fresh-faced wonderkid to emerge from Flamengo’s academy, Franca could certainly do a lot worse than to take a leaf out of his compatriot’s playbook.
“I deal (with pressure) in the best possible way. I get inspired by it,” Franca tells Globo Esporte.
“Vini, Reinier (Jesus), (Lucas) Paqueta are players who have passed through Flamengo. I hope to be the next one. And I hope that whoever comes after will be inspired by me too.
“I’ve always had this versatility. I’ve always played in different positions. I think this is the result of my hard work and performance. In addition, (my desire) to the help of the entire squad.”
Crystal Palace rivalling Man City and Real Madrid for Matheus Franca
With four goals in 17 Brazilian Serie A games in 2022, Franca is rapidly establishing himself as a first-team regular at Flamengo, even if he is yet to replicate his remarkable strike-rate from the youth teams.
Per Gavea News, Franca is already on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, though Crystal Palace’s recent track record when it comes to developing technically gifted young forward while offering them regular first-team football (Ebere Eze, Wilfried Zaha and Michael Olise come to mind) could stand Patrick Vieira’s side in surprisingly good stead in an otherwise-daunting transfer battle with the likes of Real Madrid and Man City.
The Daily Mail claim that Palace could offer £15 million, plus a sizeable sell-on clause. Only time will tell whether that is enough to sign a player with a staggering £87 million release clause in his contract.
“Matheus is a very high-level player,” Flamengo coach Dorival tells GE. “The proof of that is his numbers; his games, his goals, movements, changes of directions. This shows a little of the potential that this boy has.
“Everything is a matter of time. A lot is expected of a boy like that. We have to be calm; patient. I am very happy with what I am seeing; a process that is rapidly evolving.
“He is a boy who promises a lot. I have no doubt that, in a short time, we’ll have a player that the fans will be proud of.”
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