meet reevaldo
English clubs open up talks for Brazilian wonderkid
Rio de Janeiro – Brazilian wonderkid, Reevaldo Marcelo do Tirano, simply known as ‘Reevaldo’, has been tipped to make the move to England this summer.
Reevaldo burst onto the world stage last summer at the U-17 South American Championship, in which he displayed his attacking talent and his considerable potential. His six goals in nine matches helped Brazil win the title and he was named in the team of the tournament.
He followed that up with an impressive debut professional season for his boyhood club, Maracanã, scoring seventeen goals across all competitions and helping Maracanã win the Copa do Brasil, reach the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores, and finish second in the league.
Top flight European clubs FC Lisbon and Inter Parma have both sent scouts to see Reevaldo, but the young Brazilian is said to prefer the chance to pursue a career in England. Brompton Park FC, Salford United, and Armory are all thought to be monitoring the situation.
One well-placed source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, has revealed that representatives from newly-promoted side, Paddington United have also been making enquiries. However, with Maracanã seeking at least £8 million for Reevaldo, that would seemingly price them out. Despite having a wealthy and ambitious new Chinese owner, Xu Jun, Paddington would have to break its transfer record in order to land the highly sought after youngster (Paddington’s largest-ever transfer was Russell Traore for £4 million two years ago).
It remains to be seen whether a newly-promoted side would consider devoting the bulk of its transfer budget on an eighteen-year-old with no experience in English football. Additionally, there are concerns over whether Reevaldo would be able to secure a work permit, as he does not have any senior international experience. Furthermore, it is understood that a third party investor, CSI, owns 30% of his rights stemming from a third-party ownership deal that has been “grandfathered in” before FIFA’s ban on third-party ownership took effect.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT REEVALDO
1. He grew up in Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio, honing his football skills on nearby Copacabana beach, where he was first scouted by Maracanã when he was twelve years old.
2. He has Argentinian citizenship through his mother, who was born in Buenos Aires. While he has only played in the Brazilian international set-up as a youth, sources say that Reevaldo wants to play senior international football as soon as possible and could be open to playing for Argentina should they offer him his first cap.
3. He is the youngest of eight siblings, and comes from an athletic family (his twin sisters are both competing in the Rio Olympics for Brazil in volleyball and one of his brothers is a legend in Rio for his street futsal skills).
4. Despite playing as a striker, Reevaldo is most-often compared to Kaká in his native Brazil, given their good-natured demeanours and wholesome images.
5. He has been called up to the Brazil squad to play in the Rio Olympics, but faces tough competition to play, with first choice attacking options Otavio and Wellington in great form.