The 20-year-old is an exciting prospect and here are five things you may not know about him
Marcos Paulo. Pic Courtesy/ La Liga
LaLiga Santander champions Atletico de Madrid have completed their first transfer of the 2021 summer market by bringing in Marcos Paulo, one of Brazilian football’s brightest prospects.
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Marcos Paulo Costa do Nascimento, widely known as Marcos Paulo, has signed with Atletico de Madrid on a five-year deal, arriving following the end of his contract with Brazilian club Fluminense. The 20-year-old is an exciting prospect and here are five things you may not know about him.
The Maracana is his special place
Paulo arrived at Fluminense as a 10-year-old and grew up supporting the Tricolor, dreaming of one day making it onto the famous Maracana pitch. He achieved his dream in 2019, making his debut for the senior side there on January 30th aged just 18. He’d go on to score his first goal there on August 31st 2019 against Penarol in the Copa Sudamericana. Paulo scored 14 total goals for Flu, with 12 of them coming at the Maracanã. Such is his love for the stadium, he even has it tattooed on his arm!
He was born in Brazil but plays internationally for Portugal
Although born in Sao Goncalo near Rio de Janeiro, Paulo actually represents Portugal – not Brazil – at the international level. He hasn’t yet debuted for either country’s senior side, leaving him still eligible for a switch, but to date, he has preferred to play for Portugal’s U18s and U19s because he has dual nationality through his grandfather.
He’s very, very versatile
Paulo is a forward but hasn’t yet nailed down a single position. He is extremely versatile, which is a trait all his coaches have loved. So far in his young career, he has mostly played as a right-winger or as a centre-forward, but he has also had run-outs at left-wing and deeper in midfield.
His Golden Boy ambitions
Paulo has already impressed so much that he has been included on the list of 100 nominated players for Tuttosport’s prestigious 2021 Golden Boy award, given out each year to the best player under the age of 21. He is one of 13 LaLiga players to have been considered for this honour this year.
He’s a huge NBA fan
Paulo doesn’t just love football, as he enjoys many other sports too. He’s an especially big basketball fan and is often seen wearing NBA jerseys. In fact, he once signed a contract renewal while wearing an LA Lakers jersey.
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