- Over the years, Brazil has produced some of football’s most naturally gifted players
- From the explosive arrival of Ronaldo to the rise of Neymar Jr, we have been fortunate to see several exciting Brazilian talents
- However, it’s not every Brazilian footballer who has lived up to the expectations of fans
Life as a younger footballer can be tough, especially if you’re from Brazil where fans and tabloid writers are always looking for the ‘next Ronaldinho‘, ‘next Kaka‘ or next Neymar’. The pressure, the expectations and the uncertainty about tomorrow have made many players dubbed Brazilian wonderkids fail to live up to the expectations of football fans.
Here, we take a look at seven wonderkids from Brazil who football fans forgot about after failing to deliver as expected:
1. Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Pato. Photo/ Afrique Sports.
Did you know that Alexandre Pato is still playing? The forward enjoyed his early years in Europe and is mostly remembered for single-handedly destroying Barcelona’s mighty defence at the Camp Nou in 2011. The speed, the brilliance and the passion was all there for Pato, but football fans only enjoyed seeing the Brazilian do his thing occasionally as he has struggled with injuries throughout his career.
Pato has had spells at various clubs, including Chelsea, Villareal and Orlando City. The 34-year-old most recently played for Brazilian club Sao Paulo.
2. Kerlon
It hurts to include Kerlon in this list. Kerlon the seal man shot to internet fame after videos emerged of him dribbling while balancing the ball on his head. He did not only dribble but scored goals too, emerging as the top scorer of 2005 South American U17 Football Championship with eight goals.
The fact that his dribbling had an end product meant that a big move to Europe was inevitable for the Brazilian. He was acquired by Serie A giants Inter Milan in 2008 but after years on loan with clubs such as Chievo and Ajax, he secured a permanent transfer to Japanese club Fujieda MYFC. Kerlon, who is currently 36, retired from professional football at the age of 29.
3. Kenedy
Kenedy arrived at Chelsea during the summer of 2015 after a successful spell at Fluminense. The Blues paid €6 million for his transfer and there were hopes that he would follow in the footsteps of fellow Brazilians Willian and David Luiz at Chelsea.
But just like the other players on this list of forgotten Brazilian wonderkids, Kenedy never lived up to the expectations and after spending years on loan at different clubs, he joined Real Valladolid on a permanent transfer in September 2022.
Kenedy. Photo/ Goal.com.
4. Robinho
Having won two La Liga titles, a Serie A and other titles in Brazil, Robinho is the most successful player on this list of forgotten Brazilian wonderkids.
In 1999, Pele picked Robinho, who was at the time 15, his heir at Santos. Fast forward three years later, he led Santos to triumph in the Campeonato Brasileiro. Robinho had the potential to become one of the world’s best, something which made Real Madrid sign him in 2005. Well, his big move proved crucial as he played a significant role in Real Madrid’s La Liga triumph in 2007.
After being linked to Chelsea in the summer of 2008, he ended up joining Manchester City on transfer deadline day. He did deliver in his first season in England, recording 15 goals. But from there, Robinho become more of a team player than the star he was when he first arrived from Europe.
Robinho. Photo/ BBC.
He fell down the pecking order at City and eventually left the club initially on loan before securing a transfer to AC Milan in 2010. Robinho spent the last few years of his career playing in China, Turkey and then Brazil.
5. Jo
In 2008, Manchester City broke their transfer record with the signing of one of the most talked about Brazilian wonderkids at that time, Jo, for €19 million. He arrived after three amazing seasons at CSKA Moscow, but his next three years turned out to be miserable.
Things never really worked out for Jo in England and he returned to Brazil after just one league goal for City and a loan spell at Everton that also didn’t produce the desired comeback. The 36-year-old currently plays for Amazonas.
6. Lucas Piazon
Next on our list of forgotten Brazilian wonderkids is Lucas Piazon. When Piazon joined Chelsea in 2011, he was tipped to become the next big thing. However, things never really worked out for him despite Chelsea giving him all the time he might have needed at the club.
After a decade at Stamford Bridge, which included loan spells at various clubs, Piazon eventually left in 2021 and is currently doing his thing at Braga. He only made three appearances for Chelsea in his decade-long career with the club.
7. Keirrison
Keirrison could probably be the worst of a terrible bunch. Now aged 35, only a few football fans would even remember his name. Keirrison arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2009 as one of the most promising Brazilian talents. The Catalans spent €14 million in acquiring the forward, but things never worked out for him most probably because he was signed against the will of then Barca manager Pep Guardiola.
Keirrison. Photo/ Eurosport.
After being loaned out five times between 2009 and 2014, Keirrison returned to Brazil and that’s how he was forgotten.
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