Talles Magno, Liverpool’s young Brazilian star who is compared to Neymar

DBasia.news – Vasco da Gama may not be the most accomplished club in Brazil, but when it comes to producing attacking talent, few teams have done better over the last 30 years.

Romario, Edmundo and Philippe Coutinho all emerged from Vasco’s academy structure before becoming global superstars and now there are high hopes at Estadio Sao Januario that the newest teenage wonderkid will follow in their footsteps.

Talles Magno has been linked with Liverpool and Real Madrid despite only turning 18 at the end of June, and clubs such as Lazio, Roma, Sevilla, Bayer Leverkusen and Krasnodar are all reportedly interested in signing him this summer.

At 186cm tall, this player started his life as a center forward but gradually became more and more of a winger. His dribbling skills and Talles’ penchant for ‘showboating’ made him look like Neymar.

His versatility, meanwhile, has led some to compare him to Brazilian wingers Everton and Richarlison.

Talles started his education at a local football school before getting a trial at Vasco when he was nine years old. After being impressing enough for the youth coaches at the club, he and his teammates were immediately told to pack their bags and prepare for the tournament in Portugal.

This created problems for Talles and his family: he did not have sufficient finances to take part in the trip or a passport to allow him to travel outside his homeland.

“I didn’t have money,” recalled Talles’ mother, Claudineia, while talking to Globoesporte. “I even stopped paying my electricity bills!

“We managed to sell signed Vasco jerseys, selling each ticket for R $ 20 (£ 3 / $ 3.70), which left us with the money at last. The rest was paid for by my husband’s boss. It was a great test. After the tournament all the travel expenses was paid for by Vasco. “

Regarding the passport issue, Talles told ESPN Brazil: “We are working on getting it for some time. With one week left, I still don’t have a passport. The new passport arrives in the week of travel. Thankfully, there is time to get it done after all the effort.”

After that brief scare, Talles raced through the various levels of the youth team at Vasco, and he is credited with combining his school studies, football career and regular futsal training while growing up.

At 16 he is already well-known on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, and after signing his first professional contract in 2018, his celebrity status reached new heights in June 2019 after he was called up to make his first-team debut by manager Vasco Vanderlei Luxemburgo.

Talles was brought off the bench for the last 32 minutes against Botafogo as he became the first player born in the 21st century to represent ‘Gigante da Colina’. Although Vasco lost the match 1-0, his ability and personality on the pitch caught the eye of former Real Madrid boss Luxemburgo, and he remains part of the senior squad up front.

In his final appearance of the season, he produced one of the most memorable moments after striking a bold rainbow flick over the head of Fortaleza’s Gabriel Dias, who then fouled the teenager and was given a red card.

After the match, Luxemburgo labeled Talles an “artist”, although it would be the last time the 68 year old coach coached the teenager in a match before his dismissal at the end of the season, with the young forward selected to play for Brazil U-17 at the World Cup by the end of 2019.

Talles started the tournament brightly, scoring goals in group stage wins over New Zealand and Angola, before suffering a hamstring injury in the top 16 against Chile that ruled him out for the rest of the tournament, as well as the final week of Vasco’s Serie A campaign.

“This is a challenging time for me,” Talles wrote on his Instagram account, accompanied by a striking photo of his team-mate taking him to the locker room. “More than the physical pain, the pain of not being on the pitch with my friends, representing my country, following my dream of competing in the World Cup with the Brazilian national team.

“The injury that I suffered ended my participation. I will forever remember everyone, who supported me and carried me to the locker room. It’s been a tough time, but it would be even worse if I didn’t have each of you by my side. “

The Selecao, led by talents Gabriel Veron, Kaio Jorge and Yan Couto, ended up winning the tournament, with Talles collected the medal after their 2-1 win over Mexico.

After recovering from his injury, Talles started the State League season playing mainly on the left following the arrival of Argentine striker German Cano, although the coronavirus has suspended the competition for three months before restarting.

Despite reports linking him with a number of European clubs, Talles’s Vasco contract runs until 2022 and includes a € 50 million (£ 45 million / $ 56 million) release clause, meaning the Brazilian team is in a strong position if an offer is made in a few months ahead.

However, it seems inevitable that Talles will follow the likes of Romario and Coutinho – whom he calls his football idols – across the Atlantic Ocean at some point in the not too distant future.

When he does, the club who signed him will obtain a special player.