The next and possibly final stop on our trip around the weird and wonderful world of wonderkids from certain countries is Brazil. The South American country is notorious for producing quality young players.
Most of the players will be familiar names, although there are a few less familiar names thrown into the mix, too. So, with further ado, here are our favourite Brazilian wonderkids:
Endrick (Real Madrid)
For us, there was only one place to start our list, and that was Real Madrid wonderkid Endrick, as he is regarded as a superstar of the future. However, the 19-year-old has struggled for first-team football in the Spanish capital.
His struggle for first action led him to a January loan move to French club Lyon, where he has scored five goals in seven domestic appearances. His talent has certainly shone through at OL.
At the start of your first FM26 season, Endrick has the promising stats of a future star. He has 14+ in technique, finishing, first touch, dribbling, flair, pace and composure.
Los Blancos are willing to sell the young Brazilian, but it will cost you a premium of around £96m, which, unless you are another elite club, will likely be too big a fee to spend on one player.
Endrick has fulfilled his potential on virtually every personal save, becoming a prolific goalscorer and one of the best attacking players in the world.
Rayan (Bournemouth)
The teenage forward has already made a big attacking impact for Bournemouth in his handful of appearances for the Cherries since a winter transfer move from Santos in his homeland.
The exciting young star begins the game with decent, if not unbelievable, stats, with his highest attributes being strength and acceleration, which are both rated at +15. Elsewhere, he is also rated 14 for finishing, balance, pace, natural fitness and agility.
Those attributes grow with time, and he does become a highly consistent attacking player, both scoring and creating goals on a good basis. We have found that he is best utilised on the right wing.
As you can expect, Bournemouth are too keen to part with a player they have just signed. This is reflected in the fact that the Cherries ask for an initial fee of around £32m, plus a future fee of around £20m, and a large percentage of any sell-on fee.
However, if you are a club with a decent transfer kitty, then Rayan is a worthwhile signing in the first window, as he does tend to hit the ground running when it comes to having an instant effect on the team.
William Gomes (Porto)
Despite not being the most familiar name to most fans, William Gomes is a big favourite of mine because he is often part of the rise of my Everton teams to the top of the game.
Gomes is 20 in FM26’s first transfer window, and his stats are certainly promising. He has +14 in dribbling, long shots, vision, agility, acceleration, and pace, amongst other promising stats.
The fact that he has a tackling stat of 13 is slightly surprising for a player who operates mostly on the wing. That, coupled with good stats for pace, suggests that he could well be converted into a decent full-back, where I have used him as a makeshift on occasion.
One stat that may let him down as a winger at the start of the game is his strength, which is rated just 6.
Unsurprisingly, considering his potential, Porto are reluctant to sell the winger. However, he has a minimum fee release clause of £69m in his contract in the first transfer window.
As much as I appreciate Gomes’ ability and potential, that fee is excessive in the first transfer window. In my saves, I have signed him a few seasons in, and his fee is unusually far lower.
One caveat about William Gomes is that he is slightly hit-and-miss in fulfilling his potential. Like most wonderkids, it seems he only fulfils his potential if he receives the right training and enough first-team experience, so he needs careful handling.
Estêvão (Chelsea)
The 18-year-old was a wonderkid on FM24 in some of the updated and modded databases, as he seems to have been in the spotlight for a long time.
However, after his summer switch to Chelsea from Palmeiras, his stock has risen even higher. The young forward has already shown flashes of his ability in south west London.
It is unsurprising that he has impressive stats in the first transfer window. He has 15+ stats for technique, dribbling, flair, determination, natural fitness and agility.
I actually signed Estêvão on loan in the first transfer window and played him mostly on the right wing. He is a bit inconsistent in those early seasons. However, as he gains first-team experience and progresses, he does become slightly more consistent.
Like Gomes, the forward doesn’t always fulfil his potential. Strangely, in one of my latest long-term saves, he barely plays first-team football at Chelsea. We signed him, and he barely played for us before only being successful at Sporting Gijon, who by then were in La Liga. He needs the right handling, or he doesn’t reach his ceiling.
As previously mentioned, I have signed him on loan in the first transfer window. However, if you want to sign the forward on a permanent deal in the opening transfer window, it can cost around £60m, plus a sizeable sell-on percentage.
It may be worth waiting a few summers before committing that sort of money. I have signed him four seasons into the game for around £38m, which is a far shrewder fee.
Who is your favourite FM26 Brazilian wonderkid?
