Welington Damascena Santos

Welington Damascena Santos arrived on the south coast of England, having joined São Paulo FC's academy in 2014. He worked his way through the São Paulo age groups, lifting the Copa do Brasil Sub-20 and the Supercopa do Brasil Sub-20 in 2018, then the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior in 2019, before making his senior debut for the club in March 2020.

He went on to make over 140 appearances for São Paulo, and was part of the squad that won the Copa do Brasil in 2023 and the Supercopa do Brasil in 2024.

Welington also came through Brazil's youth international set-up. He was capped by the under-20 side in 2020, wearing the armband as the team beat Bolivia 2-0 at the Granja Comary tournament, and later stepped up to the under-23s, making his debut against Morocco in a friendly in September 2023.

His move to Southampton was agreed well in advance: he signed a pre-contract with the club in July 2024 while still registered with São Paulo, then completed the switch on a free transfer once his contract in Brazil expired, officially joining on 1 January 2025. He put pen to paper on a deal running to June 2027, with the option of a further year, and arrived on the south coast alongside compatriot Juan Santos da Silva as part of a double signing from Brazilian football.