by For any Brazilian teenager who breaks into the first team of a big club like Corinthians or Sao Paulo or Flamengo or Fluminense, there is a good chance that they have earned themselves a lucrative ticket to European football. The five most expensive transfers in Brazil this season were all players sold to one of Europe’s big clubs (and Crystal Palace). Their average fee, according to the transfer, was £20m. Their average age was only 19.
Brazil has always been a fertile ground for burgeoning talent, but its export industry is busier than ever for the best young players, especially on the way to the Premier League. In recent years the number of Brazilians playing in England’s top flight has increased from 12 in 2018 to 33 last season.
Some of those come directly from Brazil, some from other European clubs, but almost all of them have something in common – leaving the Brazilian as a young player with an outfit full of potential rather than the finished product.
European agents have embedded themselves in South America to facilitate the boom. There was a gap in the market for handling more than contract negotiations but providing 360 degree support, from advice on career development down to how to use social media. Five of Brazil’s squad to face England on Saturday night have signed with one agency, Roc Nation, which has Vinicius Jr on its books and is behind the next generation of talent, Endrick, and the 17-year-old’s move ‘age to join Vinicius at Real Madrid this summer. There would have been six Roc players in the Brazil squad had Gabriel Martinelli not been injured.
“I don’t really think the flow of talent from Brazil to Europe has increased,” says Fred Pena, president of Roc Nation’s Brazilian venture. “Brazilian talent has been on the scene for over two decades. What has changed is the profile of the players being transferred to Europe. Mainly you see young talent, 20 or 21 years old at the most, going to the five major European leagues.
“Players 22 and over tend to go to what are known as ‘alternative’ markets such as Middle Eastern countries – so Saudi Arabia, Emirates and Qatar – or Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Asian countries, Mexico and MLS. The latter also takes young talent, but not the best talent. The best young talent will go to the big five, with the Premier League by far the main destination.”
The possibility of lifting their entire family out of poverty is an absolute priority
Fred Pena, Roc Nation
After Brexit, English clubs had to pass the new Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) rules that required foreign signatories. The criteria were strict and threatened to block the ability of clubs to buy rough diamonds and unused potential overseas. But a new rule last summer loosened those rules and freed up the market, especially for clubs lower down the food chain to find little-known talent.
“The FA gave the clubs the right to sign at least two wild card players from anywhere in the world,” explains Alan Redmond, executive vice president of Roc Nation Sports International. “This means that players who previously did not meet the work permit requirements can now move. This will be very beneficial for our Brazilian business, as well as allowing all the clubs to scout globally. Perhaps the previous system favored the wealthiest clubs.”
Brazilian football itself is going through something of an evolution, and there is some desire to re-energize its own domestic league. The 2021 law encouraged private investment in its clubs, and since then there have been several examples of new ownership in Brazil’s Serie A: Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners bought Esporte Clube Bahia in Salvador; US-based 777 Partners, which is looking to add Everton to its portfolio, bought Vasco da Gama in Rio; US tech entrepreneur John Textor bought Botafogo; Ronaldo, one of Brazil’s greatest players, bought the first club he ever played for, Cruzeiro.
The scope for growth in Brazilian football is clear. While the Premier League draws 50 percent of its broadcast revenue from abroad, only 2 percent of the Brazilian league’s television revenue currently comes from international markets. There is significant untapped potential if the product can be sold to a foreign audience.
That shouldn’t be difficult because the product itself is attractive. Brazil has historic clubs, full stadiums, fierce competition, talented homegrown players and no shortage of talent and entertainment on the pitch.
But from an organizational point of view, Brazilian football can sometimes resemble a basket case: there is a political divide among the top clubs that prevents the kind of unity that inspired the English Premier League to life in the early 1990s, and the league is tainted by its history of corruption and scandal. Last season, Botafogo’s new owner, Textor, accused the match officials of cheating after a 4-3 defeat at Palmeiras. “This championship is now a big joke,” he said at full time. “This is the f*** cheating.”
In some ways the league is his worst enemy. It has the potential to grow Brazil’s Serie A into a successful product in its own right, to complement its lucrative business of selling homegrown talents. But building the league requires the kind of cohesion and vision currently lacking at the top of Brazilian football. Selling assets is a way to pay off the debt burdened by many of the big clubs, and it is still the fastest and most efficient way to end a merger.
And for the players, the beauty of Europe’s elite is stronger than ever. It’s a potential path to the top of the game, as well as access to life-changing wealth unmatched by the sums they were earning in South America.
“We remember that most young athletes in Brazil come from poor families,” says Pena. “They love football and are certainly fans of their hometown clubs, but the possibility of lifting their entire family out of poverty is their absolute priority. That is why Brazilian talent will go anywhere in the world where there is big money for them: Russia, Ukraine, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Mexico…
“It’s normal for me that a young Brazilian player is more interested in competing in the Premier League or the Champions League rather than the Brazilian Serie A or the Copa Libertadores. They want to compete with the best and hopefully be seen as the best.”
