Gabriel Bontempo

Gabriel Bontempo's introduction to the Santos first team came in the Campeonato Paulista, in a match against Velo Clube — a starting point for a midfielder who had spent nearly a decade coming through the club's academy. He arrived at Santos as a boy from Uberaba, in Minas Gerais, and by the time he made his senior debut had already spent years working through the youth ranks, signing his first professional contract in 2022.

Before that breakthrough, Bontempo had already shown what he could do in front of goal at youth level, finishing as the top scorer of the Brasileiro Sub-17 with six goals — a return that stood out given he plays in midfield rather than attack. That scoring instinct has since drawn attention from the Santos coaching staff, who have looked at ways to get more goals out of him at senior level.

Since establishing himself in the first-team squad, Bontempo has become a regular fixture, appearing in 55 matches and scoring four goals. His performances at youth level also earned him call-ups to Brazil's under-20 side, a marker of the trajectory that took him from Santos's academy sides to first-team football.

Gabriel Bontempo wears the number 8 shirt at Santos, a right-footed midfielder whose route to prominence ran entirely through the club he joined as a teenager, rather than through a move from elsewhere.