VORACIOUS VINICIUS

It has been quite the journey for CARLOS VINICIUS in his footballing career to date but the striker, who has joined us on a season-long loan from Benfica, has no intentions of stopping just yet as he has an appetite for success during his time in north London.

- Liam Carson

In the beautiful game, there is always a romanticism over players who have battled through great adversity to reach the top in their careers – Carlos Vinicius embodies that struggle.

Born in the Brazilian municipality of Bom Jesus das Selvas, a northern town perched rurally in resplendent natural beauty with just one main road running through its heart to link it to the rest of civilisation, our new arrival’s footballing journey began at the age of 14 with a move away from his home to join Campeonato Brasileiro Série A side Goias. That’s a distance of 1,500 kilometres – the equivalent of London to Moscow.

At 16 he moved again to Santos and witnessed the breakthrough of Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar before later crossing paths with Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus at Palmeiras. Both of his compatriots’ careers sky-rocketed in an instant, but for Carlos, there was still much to overcome – including his role in the game.

During his formative years, Vinicius had played as a centreback. With great strength and height, he had all the attributes to be a defender, but it wasn’t until his final few months with Palmeiras where he eventually made the transition from defence to attack. From that moment on, it was clear he was a natural in front of goal.