9 big name footballers who have moved to Brazil in 2024: Coutinho, Thiago Silva…

The Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A aka The Brasileirao (Big Brazilian) has, essentially, the same transfer window as the Premier League, despite the season being about two-thirds done at this point. This is kind of their equivalent of the English January transfer window, we guess.

Currently, Fortaleza, who only got promoted in 2018, are leading the way. Corinthians are in real trouble, and Fluminense are hovering just above the relegation zone. It’s a topsy-turvy world, friends.

Some well-established players have made their way over to Brazil this season, and maybe just in the nick of time for some of the clubs involved. We’re taking a closer look at those big signings.

Thiago Silva

Fluminense fans must be bricking it. They find themselves just two points above the relegation zone, having won just six games all season. They need to sort themselves out sharpish lest they risk the drop. What would you do in that situation?

Signing Thiago Silva would be a pretty smart move, to be fair, and that’s exactly what Fluminense have done. Brazil’s legendary centre-back, who will turn 40 before the end of the season, has been here before.

He left Fluminense in 2009 when he signed for Milan and his European career really took off.

Now he’s back to help drag his former team out of the dirt. They’ve won three of their last five games… Thiago Silva is built different.

Philippe Coutinho

There was a time when Coutinho was one of the most feared creative forces in the Premier League. That five-year stint at Liverpool was scary good, and ultimately resulted in Barcelona splashing an initial £105m on the Brazilian.

It didn’t go quite as well for Coutinho at Barca and, now, at the age of 32, he finds himself having just returned from a loan spell in Qatar, to his parent club Aston Villa.

Villa have Champions League football to contend with this season, so a deep squad will be crucial. Yet, Coutinho has joined boyhood side Vasco da Gama on loan for the rest of the season. They’re currently in the Copa Sudamericana (the South American equivalent of the Europa League) spots, but will be hoping Coutinho can help propel them into the Libertadores qualification places.

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Brazilian to score 10+ Champions League goals?

Kaio Jorge

There was a lot of hype around Kaio Jorge when he first got his big move from Santos to Juventus. That was back in 2021, under the cloud of the pandemic, but an exciting young Brazilian forward signing for one of Europe’s giants is always a cause for excitement.

Kaio is, ostensibly, a striker, yet his goal returns have never been great. In fact, to this day, the 22-year-old has just 20 senior goals to his name in professional football.

The first 17 came at Santos, and three more arrived in Serie A, for Frosinone, during a loan spell at the end of which i Canarini found themselves relegated to Serie B.

Kaio has now signed permanently for Cruzeiro after making just 11 first team appearances for the Bianconeri.

Matheus Henrique

Henrique has been a mainstay of Sassuolo’s midfield for the past three years. Unfortunately, after two impressive seasons, those three seasons saw them finish in the bottom half twice in a row, culminating in their eventual relegation to Serie B.

The Brazilian decided to get the f*ck out of Dodge and has joined Cruzeiro on a permanent transfer. The Raposa are just six points off the automatic Libertadores spots.

Are there any chances of them getting relegated in three seasons’ time?

Carlos Alcaraz

Flamengo have got a new record signing in the shape of former Southampton midfielder Charly Alcaraz. The Mengao paid Saints just over £15m for Alcaraz, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus.

There can’t be too many players who’ve gone on loan from a Championship club to a Champions League team… Note to self: Do a quiz on that in the future.

Martin Braithwaite

Braithwaite is one of the most interesting men in football. The ex-Middlesbrough and Barcelona forward, gazillionaire, potential future owner of Espanyol—out of pure spite, and Danish international has just signed for Gremio.

Scored twice on his league debut as well.

Braithwaite’s new team a firmly midtable in the Brasileirao as things stand, but there’s every chance the Danish Batman just literally buys the league and crowns the Tricolor champions.

READ NEXT: Where are they now? The Brazilian Under-17 XI from Endrick’s debut in 2022

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every member of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup Squad?

Felipe Anderson

After two seasons at West Ham, a sneaky little loan at Porto, and a combined eight years at Lazio, Felipe Anderson has finally returned to the Brasileirao.

He was absolutely mustard in that first season at West Ham. Untouchable, at times. A dip in form toward the end of his second season resulted in that loan to Porto, and that didn’t go too smoothly either.

The Brazilian picked himself back up and helped Lazio to a second-place Serie A finish in 2022-23.

Anderson signed for Palmeiras this summer, who are currently third in the Brasileirao, four points off the top spot. He won the Copa Libertadores with Santos way back in 2o11, but Anderson has never won the Brasileirao. This could be his time…

Alex Sandro

Would you believe us if we told you that Alex Sandro had made the exact same amount of appearances for Juventus as Pavel Nedved? Well, you’d better believe it, because it’s true.

Juve’s joint-31st highest appearance maker of all time spent nine seasons in Turin, but has now signed for Flamengo alongside fellow Juve alumnus Carlos Alcaraz. They’re really pushing for that title.

Thiago Almada

Almada has enjoyed a relatively unconventional career path. The 23-year-old Argentinian came up through Velez Sarsfield’s academy and spent four seasons in their first team before leaving his homeland for Atlanta United in MLS.

He earned his first call-up for the Argentina national team whilst tearing up MLS, and the winger scored his first international goal the following year.

Now, instead of the big move to Europe that you might expect from a baller in Almada’s position, he’s signed permanently for Botafogo, who are currently one point off the leaders Fortaleza in the Brasileirao.