Who is Matheus Nascimento? Botafogo's teen sensation on the way to Real Madrid
Daniel Edwards
- Updated: 20 Jul 2022 05:25 CDT
- 3 min read
How does one go about improving a team that has reached almost unmatched heights?
That was the dilemma confronting Real Madrid back in 2018, when the Merengue found themselves at a crossroads: on the one hand, they had just been crowned Champions League kings for a third consecutive year; but they were also bracing for the exit of the inspirational Cristiano Ronaldo, a blow for any attack.
Madrid's response was novel. Rather than replace the Juventus-bound ace with a comparable Galactico, they looked towards the future, and to Brazil.
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Teenage stars like Flamengo pair Vinicius Junior and Reinier and Santos wonderkid Rodrygo were recruited at significant cost and, while the trio's development over the last four years has logically enough not been uniform, in the former at least the Blancos seem to have a star who can lead the line for years to come.
It should not come as a surprise, then, that the club continues to look across the Atlantic Ocean for the next superstar. TransferNews understands that Botafogo's 18-year-old sensation Matheus Nascimento is firmly within Madrid's sights, with the club preparing a bid for the young forward this summer.
Botafogo's goal-happy wonderkid
Nascimento is without a doubt a prodigious talent. He is said to have scored over 150 goals at youth level with Botafogo, whom he joined as an 11-year-old from a football school in his native Niteroi, a town located just across the Guanabara Bay from Rio itself.
The player made his professional debut in Serie A all the way back in September 2020, aged just 16, playing nine games and proving a bright spot in an otherwise disastrous season for Botafogo, who suffered relegation at the end of the year.
The teenager returned to the youth ranks for the following campaign but at the start of 2022, with his side safely back in the top flight, he received the call-up for the Rio State Championship. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands and smashed five goals in nine starts, securing his first-team berth for the year - while also attracting attention from scouts across the globe.
It goes without saying that Matheus is one to watch for the future rather than for immediate impact.
That burst in the State Championship aside he has found goals rather harder to come by at senior level and indeed is still waiting for his first Serie A strike after 21 appearances, although most of those have come off the bench late on in games.
There is nevertheless a lot to like about the youngster, not least his strapping 1.85m frame, which suggests he would have no problem adapting to a more physical style of football.
Nascimento possesses a lethal right foot and is adept at creating space out of nothing in the area, making him a real prospect at centre-forward. He has a long way to go still, but Madrid's recent track record with promises from Brazil suggests that the Bernabeu might just be the perfect place for him to continue to hone his undoubted potential.
