After David Neres and Antony, Ajax again wants to bring an attacking Brazilian to the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Claudinho, a 24-year-old attacking midfielder from Red Bull Bragantino, is especially loosening tongues in Brazilian football circles this season. RB Leipzig has also noticed the revelation of the Série A and at the beginning of January the German club also seemed to become the new employer of Claudinho. Who is this very easy-scoring midfielder, who has a long history in Santos youth academy and who took his first steps in professional football in Brazil with Corinthians.
In the view of the Brazilian freelance sports journalist Paulo Freitas, Ajax and RB Leipzig currently have the best papers to bring the purposeful Claudinho to Europe. According to Yahoo Esportes Ajax has already submitted a first offer of fifteen million euros to the Brazilian club. “But they should be willing to come up with an even better offer”, it sounds in a response Football zone. Freitas immediately warns against the failure of the Amsterdam club’s mission to remove Claudinho from the Brazilian competition. “The relationship between Red Bull Bragantino and RB Leipzig may give the Germans an advantage.” The connoisseur of football in Brazil is referring to the fact that the employer of the Ajax target saw the club name change from Clube Atlético Bragantino to Red Bull Bragantino in 2020 after the merger with Red Bull Brasil. In the style of the Red Bull group, the players nowadays wear a red and white uniform, instead of the old-fashioned shirt in the colors black and white.
Had all the necessary clubs in their own country
Claudinho is only 24 years old, but nevertheless the attacking midfielder from São Vicente has already come a long way in his own country. He entered the renowned Santos youth academy at the age of six. “And then he wandered around various clubs in the state of São Paulo, before settling with Red Bull Bragantino,” Freitas refers to the five Brazilian clubs that Claudinho served in between, mostly on a rental basis. The name of Corinthians is the most striking in that list, the club where he was active between 2015 and 2017. The midfielder shines on the field these days, but not so long ago the situation was different. “Like so many soccer players in Brazil, he started out with futsal (indoor soccer, ed.) And early in his career he had the intention to become a goalkeeper, but gradually he became convinced that it was better to switch positions.” Claudinho has grown into a player who always starts a match with attacking intentions, although according to Freitas it is not the case that the Brazilian revelation has one favorite position at Red Bull Bragantino.
“Claudinho does not really have a favorite place on the field”, Freitas concludes after seeing the necessary matches of Red Bull Bragantino this season. “Although he does have a clear preference for the right flank, where he can make optimal use of his attacking qualities. Sometimes Claudinho acts as an attacking midfielder, but sometimes he takes on the role of winger.” Should Ajax come to a final agreement with Red Bull Bragantino, trainer Erik ten Hag will have access to a versatile player. “His main qualities are finishing, dribbling with the ball, passing and technique.” Freitas also points to the fact that Claudinho is still quite young and that there are also parts of the game that could be improved. “His defensive contribution and his headlines are things that could be improved.” The Brazilian expert does not think that Claudinho maintains a friendly relationship with David Neres and Antony, the Brazilian wing attackers in the current Ajax selection. “He is certainly aware of those players, but I have not heard there is any connection between them.” Since Neres and Antony have already played international games for Brazil and Brazil Under-23 respectively, Claudinho has no history as an international. However, this could change in the short term, Freitas predicts.
“Yes, Claudinho has been associated with the Brazilian national team and scouts of the Seleção watched him more than once during Red Bull Bragantino matches. It would therefore come as no surprise if Claudinho was called up for Brazil in the future. “The player himself philosophized not so long ago about a possible baptism of fire in the team of national coach Tite.” I think that the moment I am completely ready for a call to come closer and closer “, said the great star of Red Bull Bragantino in a broadcast of SporTV. “Every day and every season I become a better player. I have evolved enormously since I took the step from the Série B to the very highest level in Brazil. During my time in the Série A I have already proven to myself that I even one step higher: being successful at this level, eventually experiencing successes in Europe and ending up in the selection of the Brazilian national team. That is really my ultimate dream. I feel that I am ready to fulfill all those dreams. accomplish.”
Comparison with Neymar
Claudinho has never played with Neymar in one team, but there are nevertheless similarities between the trendsetters of Red Bull Bragantino and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. Both players ended up in the youth division of Santos in 2003, although Neymar was five years older at the time. “When Claudinho started to develop at Santos, Neymar had already established his name in Brazilian football”, clarified Goaljournalist Tauan Ambrosio in an analysis at the request of Football zone. “As a product of the Santos training, however, Claudinho was quickly and often compared to Neymar. However, due to problems with the management of the club, he chose to leave, with Corinthians as his new club at the time. Corinthians continued his development as a youth player. further and in 2015 he managed to make his debut in the first team. Claudinho nevertheless had few opportunities to prove himself in the main squad. ” Just two years later, in 2017, the midfielder exchanged Corinthians for Ponte Preta. In the recent interview with SporTV The 24-year-old looked mainly at herself in terms of the transition from nearly four years ago. “There are many players who are kidding themselves and I was one of them.” What followed was a tour of clubs in the state of São Paulo. “He was loaned out by Corinthians to several smaller clubs before joining Red Bull Bragantino, even before Red Bull invested in the club. He has clearly found his place as a player at this club,” Ambrosio added.
According to experts, Claudinho can manage on both flanks and he also regularly appears in the sixteen.
While Freitas indicates that Claudinho is at his best on the right, Ambrosio thinks the technically skilled midfielder is more suited to the left flank. “He can manage in all attacking positions, but we can clearly see here that Claudinho plays his best games on the left, with runs towards the opponent’s penalty area. He scores significantly more goals, now that he shows up much more often than before. for the purpose. ” Ambrosio also endorses the image that many people have of Brazilian players: “He has an incredible pass and also has the ability to put fellow players in a favorable position.” The connoisseur of the Brazilian Série A cannot immediately mention a downside in Claudinho’s game. “But this is also only the first season at the highest level in Brazil in which he excels,” Ambrosio emphasizes. “Time will tell whether he can hold on to his current form for a longer period of time.” Claudinho has so far scored 17 goals in 34 league matches this season, impressive numbers for a midfielder. In the last two league games against Sport Recife and Goiás (both 0-0) he was deprived of goals and promptly Red Bull Bragantino spilled expensive points in both duels.
Globo Esporte recently came with an encouraging message for Ajax. Claudinho’s contract, which runs until December 31, 2024, does not contain a provision that gives RB Leipzig or another club from the Red Bull group the first option to take over the midfielder. The Brazilian medium reported earlier this month that in addition to various European clubs, some superpowers from Brazil are also angling for the services of Claudinho. However, the figurehead of Red Bull Bragantino has already indicated that there is no rush and that he will only think about a transfer if he and his current employer benefit from it. Globo Esporte gave another example showing that Claudinho is free to make his own choice. Erling Braut Haaland impressed at Red Bull Salzburg and a switch to sister club RB Leipzig seemed obvious. However, the top scorer from Norway signed a multi-year contract with Borussia Dortmund in the winter break of the 2019/20 season, where he has been playing the stars of heaven for more than a year.