The 17-year-old Palmeiras Talles star has been likened to Rivaldo following being named NXGN Player of the Year at the Central and Eastern European Cup.
Palmeiras is the team that others are now aspiring to reach in Brazil, with the team that won the Copa Libertadores in 2020 and 2021, currently sitting at the top of the Brazilian League and the Under-20 League, with the same youth team winning the prestigious Copeña title earlier in the year. this year.
Palmeiras’ success is built in-house, thanks to the latest collection of Palmeiras Academy products, set to conquer European stadiums over the next few years.
Two-time NXGN nominee Gabriel Veron flew out of the nest earlier this year, joining Porto on an initial €10m deal, but players like Gabriel Menino, Danilo and Giovanni are far behind.
Even younger players, such as 16-year-old Indrik and his attacking partner, Luis Guilherme, are already linked with huge financial moves to clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
However, neither Indrik nor Guilherme was part of the Palmeiras Under-19 team that made the trip to Prague to compete in the 2022 Eastern and Central European Cup, the prestigious annual youth tournament held in the Czech Republic.
But in a show of strength in the depth of talent, Palmeiras managed to achieve victory, scoring 14 goals in just three matches to win the cup for the third time in a row.
The undisputed star of the tournament was attacking midfielder Thales, who was the tournament’s top scorer with three goals and was awarded the NXGN Player of the Tournament award.
Although his brilliance in front of goal made headlines following scoring in Palmeiras’ 2-1 victory over Slavia Prague in the final, it was Thales’ all-encompassing style that was even more remarkable.
In theory an attacking midfielder, the 17-year-old is comfortable playing in a number of different roles, including that of a false striker and right winger, where he can use his favorite left foot in an amazing fashion.
He overtakes opponents while maintaining control of the ball with ease, his tall, slender body makes him resemble one of Palmeiras’ greatest players of all time, Rivaldo.
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However, it has only been six years since Thales decided to walk away completely from the world of football.
His father died when he was only four years old, and at the age of eleven, he was ready to quit football to ease the burden on his mother.
However, she pushed her son to pursue his dreams, and in April 2021, that dream took another step towards reality when he enrolled at the Palmeiras Academy.
Thales, who at the time was playing in the youth system of second-tier club Club de Regatas Brasil, charmed Palmeiras scouts with the way he manipulated the ball and distributed passes towards his teammates, and was soon invited to move to São Paulo.
And in his first 15 months at the club, he had a lot of sparkle.
Thales scored seven goals in his first season with the Under-17 side, before following up with eight goals in just 11 games the following season as he began making his way to the Under-20 side.
In 2022 alone, he was named Player of the Tournament in the FAM Cup, an annual Under-17 competition in Brazil, and scored seven goals to lead Palmeiras to the Brazilian Under-17 Cup, with Thales scoring a stunning goal in the final win over Vasco da Gama. .
Now with even more individual accolades following his performances at the Central and Eastern European Cup, Thales looks to the future.
The young Brazilian said in exclusive statements to “GOAL”: “I dream of playing in the first team Palmeiras and that one day I will play in the World Cup with Brazil.”
And while he was explaining that Neymar is a hero because: “He plays happily and is always smiling, and that’s the Brazilian style.”
Thales has certainly adopted this Brazilian style, both in his personality and in the way he plays football.
Now, he can focus on becoming the newest gem in Palmeiras Academy and becoming an unmistakable star.
