Wonderkid Factories: Santos FC
We’ve looked at two of the biggest football clubs in South America in River Plate and Boca Juniors but both of those giants come from Argentina and until now we hadn’t looked at any of the big clubs from across the border in Brazil. Well today our focus is firmly set on the home of flair football and a club that has produced some of Brazil’s brightest talents.
Santos have a long and illustrious history in Brazilian football and their list of honours are great evidence of that. Peixe have won 3 Copa Libertadores, 8 Brazilian top flight titles, 22 regional titles and one Copa do Brasil.
Alvinegro play in the city of Santos which is in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil. The iconic black and white of Santos, is a staple in that area of Brazil which is even more impressive considering some of the other biggest clubs in the country, like Corinthians, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo also reside in the same region.
Peixe’s best era came in the 1960’s when they won 6 of their 8 top flight titles, as well as two Copa Libertadores and 8 out of the 10 regional titles in that decade. Part of the reason for that dominance was the mercurial talent of the legendary Pele. From 1956 to 1974, Pele made 1106 appearances for Santos, which is a club record, as well as scoring 1091 goals in total, another record. Only 769 of those goals came in official matches, a world record which had stood until very recently when Cristiano Ronaldo broke it.
Since then, the club has continued its long tradition of pushing players from the youth team into the first team to compete. Usually the club’s best exports make the trip over to Europe to make their own mark which has been a continuing trend over the last few seasons and is a possible reason why Santos haven’t won a top flight title since 2004. Even the clubs last regional title was over 5 years ago.
We’re certain that it would be very different if Peixe were able to bring back some of their most famous alums. If that happened, then the Santos squad would contain the likes of Neymar, Rodrygo, Gabi, Caio Henrique, Emerson, Kaio Jorge, Claudinho, Felipe Anderson, Alan Patrick, Lucas Verissimo, Robson Bambu and Marcelo.
It’s clear that Alvinegro have continued their trend of producing technically efficient young players, who are gifted with natural talent and oozing with flair. Our three picks for future stars today are possibly some of the best that we have had in the series so far, and that notion has been shared by other experts in the game.
Kaiky (Centre Back)
Kaiky is only 17 and certainly doesn’t conform to the normal idea of a Brazilian wonderkid. Rather than possessing the trademark flair, he is gifted with an extreme physical presence which has made him a vital part of the Santos team despite his age. He’s made 34 appearances in all competitions for Peixe and has been just as important for the national team, captaining Brazil’s U16’s. Of course though, he’s earnt the biggest honour anyone can bestow and one of our favourite barometers of a player, becoming a wonderkid on FM22.
Angelo Gabriel (Right Winger)
Angelo is also on the list of wonderkids for FM22 and despite the outrageous talent Kaiky has, this man may well be the pick of the bunch. He’s made 38 appearances in all competitions this year and he’s done all that at the age of just 16. Yep you read that right, 16. There is no doubting Angelo’s talent and its not surprising that he’s drawn comparisons with ex-Santos man, Neymar. High praise to say the least.
Marcos Leonardo (Centre Forward)
Leonardo is only 18 and somehow still the oldest player on this list. He’s also made 38 appearances so far this season, mostly off the bench but has still chipped in with 4 goals and an assist. He’s also the team captain for Brazil’s U18’s and looks to have a bright future ahead of him.