João Neto, the child prodigy seen as Neymar's successor and winning the Ballon d'Or

João Neto is only 17 years old, but he is called to be one of the great figures of world football in a few years. He is a child prodigy who in Brazil has been considered Neymar's successor for six years, although he acts as a midfielder or insider. Last Sunday, at 17 years and six months, he became the youngest player to make his debut with Famaliçao, surpassing the previous mark of Tiago Pereira. The former midfielder of Rayo Vallecano (1998-99) and Tenerife (1999-2000) made his debut with the Portuguese club at the age of 18 in the 1993-94 season. Neto jumped onto the pitch to play the last 20 minutes of the match that faced Famaliçao against the League leader and his performance was praised after the match. He hit seven of the nine passes he tried well, cut two balls, stole one in the opposite field and had a 34% success in the actions he tried.

At just seven years old, his dribbling in futsal drew the attention of Corinthians' eyes, which quickly enlisted him in their ranks and with which he scored 79 goals in his first season at the quarry. His scoring ability, his filigree and his speed began to attract the attention of the club technicians, to the point that At the age of 11, he was invited to play a futsal game with the first team players. His exhibition was of such magnitude that he became famous in Brazil and the multinational Nike created his own line with the name of Neto.

After that episode, the ex-Azulgrana Deco took him to the lower categories, where he played until July 25, 2019, when he was presented as a new Braga player. At this event, Miguel Ribeiro, CEO of Famaliçao, referred to him in the following terms: “He is the best player of his age and he is destined to win a Ballon d'Or ”. His career in the elite has only just begun, but some scouts say that he will soon be competing for the football throne with Ansu Fati and João Félix