Any promising forward in the Santos youth ranks will immediately have a burden thrust upon them. The handful of attacking players who come through at the famous club each year will have to deal with a mental challenge off the pitch, as well as the physical tests on it. The phrases “next Pelé”, or “new Neymar” get bandied around casually in articles such as this one, as journalists seek to draw attention to an otherwise relatively unknown player.
Gabriel Barbosa Almeida arrived at Santos as an eight-year-old, having been spotted playing futsal by Brazil and Santos legend Zito. Earning the nickname ‘Gabigol’, he made an immediate impact at youth level with his eye for goal, and attracted the attention of businessmen who look to profit from promising football talents in Brazil.
It’s here that the comparisons to Santos idols of the past begin to emerge, as agents & clubs look to create a buzz around their asset. The young players’ mentality is tested as they can often believe the hype too early. The danger is that the player thinks they've made it before they even play a senior game, which leads to a drop in performance and another name added to the list of unfulfilled talents.
Gabriel seems to be taking the hype in his stride, and would do well to learn from the recently departed Neymar, who accepted (and revelled in) his role as a modern day football brand, but also worked hard on and off the pitch to continually improve as a player. Gabigol has scored an impressive 4 goals in 5 appearances so far this season for Santos, and has the club's 12,000th goal to his credit also, having scored a double against Botafogo in the 2014 Campeonato Paulista.
He has the natural talent to go far in the game, and his combination of core strength, athleticism, and technique saw him turn out for the Santos first team from the age of just sixteen. Now seventeen, he’ll go into the 2014 season as part of an exciting attacking line-up at Santos alongside several other players tipped for greatness.
He could emerge as the perfect partner for new signing Leandro Damião, using his pace, skill and left-footedness to compliment his team-mate’s more targetman-like approach. And those comparisons with Neymar are becoming more apparent, as Gabriel now sports the obligatory stupid haircut.
