Vitor Reis the latest teenager to get big move – How Palmeiras continue to produce top talent

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Who will be the next star? 

©TM/IMAGO

Brazil has long been renowned for producing some of the best and most entertaining talent in world football, and in more recent times European clubs are picking up these stars earlier than ever. Real Madrid signed Vinicius Junior when he was 18 years old for €45 million from Flamengo. They signed Rodrygo for the same fee from Santos at 18, while teenager Endrick arrived from Palmeiras for €37.5m last summer. Many clubs in the Brazilian Serie A are profiting from this, but none more so than Palmeiras, with the Bahia-based club’s conveyor belt of talent continuing to produce.

This Tuesday, 18-year-old centre-back Vitor Reis became the latest player to swap South America for Europe’s top-five leagues, as the teenager sealed a €37m move from Palmeiras to Manchester City. Since the the start of the 2022/23 season, the club have made €204.5m from selling players. In that same timeframe, the next Brazilian club on that list are Corinthians, who have made around half of that figure at €101.5m from player sales. So how do Palmeiras persistently churn out top young stars? And which other young players have left the club for high fees in recent years? With expert insight from Brazil, we dig into just that, and look at who could be Palmeiras’ next rising star.  

How do Palmeiras keep producing top talents?

Away from the hustle and bustle of Brazil’s two most populated cities in the south of the country, São Paulo and Rio De Janeiro, where many of the countries’ top teams compete, further north, Palmeiras reside from the state of Bahia, and have done a stellar job in scooping up top talent across the vast South American country. Four of the five most valuable Brazilian players aged 19 or under right now have played for Palmeiras. All of them have now sealed big money moves away from the club. Marcos Watts is Transfermarkt’s Area Manager in Brazil and tells us more about the club’s success: “Palmeiras has earned a reputation as one of Brazil’s most successful clubs in terms of youth development. Their investments in the academy infrastructure, a strong scouting network, and the link between academy and first team are a few of the key factors that contribute to this.” 

As illustrated in the graphic above, a number of young stars have made moves to Europe’s elite in the past three seasons from Palmeiras, with four of them heading to the Premier League and Endrick to Real Madrid. Reis’s latest €37m move to Man City, followed Estêvão’s €34m move to Chelsea (which will be completed next summer), Luis Guilherme’s €23m transfer to West Ham, and Danilo’s €20m move to Nottingham Forest. If we go even further back, back in the 2016/17 season, Gabriel Jesus left Palmeiras for Man City for €32m. “Not only are they developing and finding great talents, but the club found a good system that allows them to give these youngsters experience and further development at the top level in South America,” added Watts.

“Palmeiras is certainly one of the top clubs in Brazil in terms of success, infrastructure, and youth development.” Watts reflected. “Whether they are the best-run club is subjective and open to debate – some might say Flamengo is still the top-run club around here, but I think Palmeiras’ on-field success and financial stability speak for themselves.” If the Brazilian side had kept all of their star players in recent season’s they could have accumulated a fierce XI that could even have the capability to compete in one of Europe’s top-five leagues. Below we can see the potential team Palmeiras could have fielded had they not sold their rising talent. 

With so many of these Brazilian stars moving leagues, and continents, at such a young age, one can often overlook the difficulties in this cultural change for such a young mind. Guilherme, for example, has traded Bahia for East London and has had limited minutes at West Ham. He has played a total of 45 minutes in the Premier League, all of which have come from the bench. Still only 18 years old and unable to fluently communicate in English as of yet, it’s a huge adjustment for a teenager to have to adapt to. When asked if he thinks 18-year-old Reis is ready for the Premier League, Watts responded, “It’s always though trying to guess if young talents are ready. I think it will take some time for him to adjust physically and tactically – as the game is played in a much more complex way in England than elsewhere. That being said, Talent-wise I think he’s ready to shine anywhere in the world.”

Who will be the next Palmeiras star destined for Europe’s top-five leagues?

Given the talent of Endrick, Estêvão, and Reis alike, Europe’s top clubs will be on red alert scanning the next mercurial prodigy set to roll out of Palmeiras’ youth system. “Palmeiras’ academy has a lot of talent coming through,” Watts expressed. “As the club continues to invest in young players, we’re likely to see many names emerge as potential export products to Europe in the coming years.” The club has become renowned for not only one of the most successful academies in Brazil, but in the whole of South America, and probably even world football.

So who is next? “If I had to take a guess right now, I’d say Luighi could be the next Palmeiras gem to keep an eye on.” Watts revealed. 18-year-old centre forward, Luighi Hanri Sousa Santos, to give him his full Brazilian name, currently has a market value of just €2m, and has played just five games for the first-team, scoring one goal. The teenager is still four months short of turning 19 years old, and is expected to be given more opportunities next season. The young forward is highly thought of at the club. Don’t be surprised if one of Europe’s elite clubs come calling soon.