Gabriel Sara

Gabriel Sara joined the São Paulo academy in 2013 at the age of 13 and worked his way through the club's youth ranks before making his senior debut on 3 December 2017. He stayed at São Paulo until July 2022, winning the Campeonato Paulista in 2021 along the way, then moved to Norwich City for a fee of around €10.5 million.

His two seasons in Norfolk turned into the making of him. Sara scored 20 goals in 85–86 league appearances, was named Norwich's Player of the Season for 2022–23 and picked up the EFL Championship Player of the Month award in August 2023. The following season he was named in both the EFL Championship Team of the Season and the PFA Team of the Year.

Galatasaray moved for him in August 2024, paying a club-record €18 million spread over nine installments across three seasons, and tied him down to a contract running until 2029. The midfielder has repaid that outlay with silverware: back-to-back Süper Lig titles in 2024–25 and 2025–26, plus the Turkish Cup in the first of those campaigns.

International recognition arrived later. Sara made his debut for Brazil on 26 March 2026, coming on for Casemiro in the 84th minute of a friendly against France at Gillette Stadium.