9 Brazilian wonderkids you should sign on Football Manager 2022

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Brazilian defender Kaiky playing for Santos against Juazeirense, Urbano Caldeira Stadium, July 2021

Rahul Lakhani
29th April 2022

Brazil is arguably the world’s finest country when it comes to producing top young talent, and Football Manager fans know that it is the best place to look when scouting out wonderkids for your team.

Moneyball aficionados know that there’s no value in signing big names for the team you’re trying to take to the top, but young players with high potential are the ones to target to eventually help fire you to glory before making a healthy profit when Real Madrid come calling.

Whether you’re looking for a loan deal to boost your promotion push, or a long-term investment to get Burnley playing like Barcelona, wonderkids between 17 and 20 years old are ideal for squad building. Should you obtain a work permit, Brazil is the number one destination for your chief scout to spend a summer.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best Brazilian wonderkids on FM 2022. We’ve kept it to those who could be available to sign when you don’t have an unlimited budget, so the likes of Vinicius Junior and Gabriel Martinelli have been omitted.

Kayky

The Manchester City youngster is already on a £25,000 weekly wage, making him a borderline selection, but the 18-year-old winger is available and financially viable if you’re managing a top-flight side.

Don’t let a potential £20million fee with add-ons put you off, Kayky’s value will easily double in a short amount of time, and a healthy profit can be turned.

A left-footed right-winger, Kayky suits an inverted winger role perfectly, and anyone wanting to add a bit of samba flair to their team should look no further.

He’s not bad in reality either…

As calm as you like from Kayky…pic.twitter.com/D9XsXs4z3x

— Fútbol Spy (@SpyFutbol) April 22, 2022

Joao Pedro

Already a Premier League player, and at 20-years-old, Joao Pedro being included in a list of wonderkids may sound odd, but he’s been included as he fits the bill of being a Brazilian who somehow surpasses Ronaldo Nazario’s ability within a few years on the game.

A target for a top-half side in the top flight, the striker is simply a must buy. He guarantees you goals either from the left wing or as an advanced forward.

Break the bank, it’ll be worth it in the long run.

Kaiky

Not to be confused with Manchester City’s Kayky, Kaiky is a 17-year-old centre back from Santos, for whom a decent price can be negotiated. Wages will definitely not be a problem, and Kaiky’s potential is massive.

Although he is under six feet tall, his defensive and passing attributes mean he develops into a top-quality, ball-playing defender and is ideal for a three-at-the-back formation.

Depending on your squad’s needs, signing Kaiky and loaning him back to Santos for the first season could be the best way to secure the player and have him gain experience without the biggest clubs snatching him away.

Miguel Carvalho

A 16-year-old attacking midfielder in the Espanyol academy, Carvalho will be an easy deal to do as he has a release clause of £800,000.

Imagine securing the next Kaka for less than £1million. This is what dreams are made of.

READ: A tribute to Kaka, the ‘rare piece of talent’ who belonged to Jesus

Angelo

Another teenage talent on the books at Santos, the club which created Pele and Neymar, Angelo is a left-footed right-winger who possesses a lot of flair and pace.

Santos negotiate hard to deter anyone from trying to steal one of their biggest talents but should your finances be secure, bringing the 16-year-old to your club will not be the hardest task.

When you find a mercurial talent like him, don’t bother with loans or youth football. Have him in from the first game of pre-season.

Gabriel Veron

A right-footed winger who can play naturally on both sides, the Palmeiras teenager can be bought for less than £10million, despite his European release clause standing at £51million.

Manchester United and Chelsea fans may have horrific flashbacks when signing a South American called Veron, but this Brazilian version should hopefully deliver better results in the long run.

The 18-year-old already has some first-team experience under his belt and can slot straight into a side with less need for adaptation to Europe compared to some of his age mates.

Exactly what you’d want from a wonderkid.

Marcelo Pitaluga

A 19-year-old goalkeeper on the books at Liverpool, Pitaluga can be obtained on a low wage for less than £450,000.

Liverpool already have Alisson, but Pitaluga could be his successor as Brazil’s goalkeeper and could provide excellent cover for your team.

Those really obsessed with project youth can do a lot worse than making him number one from the off and watching him grow, and those managing in the Championship or lower down the top flight can pick up a bargain here.

If you’re wanting to play a possession-based style, Pitaluga fits the role of a modern sweeper-keeper perfectly.

Pitaluga with some very impressive distribution💫🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/b3SS2tr5H0

— Elliot (@Ifcelliot) December 12, 2020

Renan

Going back to Palmeiras, one of the more exciting prospects is this 19-year-old centre-back who can also play naturally on the left flank.

Left-footed centre-halves are hard to find these days and the 6’1″ teenager has strong marking and tackling stats.

The sky is the limit for Renan and while it would take around £15million to secure the defender, he becomes worth every penny and more.

READ: A brilliant XI of Football Manager 2022’s best hidden gem wonderkids

Vanderson

A 20-year-old right-back from the Gremio academy, Vanderson is ready to step straight into the first team and his strong tackling ability makes him robust enough to cope with the step up.

Monaco clearly did their homework as they signed him for around £10million in January 2022.

Wherever Vanderson is in the version of the game you’re playing, though, he’s worth a look. He’s a little rough around the edges but solid coaching and first-team experience could see him become a top-level player in the mould of Maicon.