Matheus Fernandes

Matheus Fernandes came through Botafogo's academy and made his first-team debut in a Campeonato Carioca fixture against Nova Iguaçu in January 2017. He was still a teenager, and within a year he had a state title on his record, part of Botafogo's Carioca-winning squad in 2018.

That form took him to Palmeiras later that year, and it was from there that his career took its most striking turn: in 2020, Barcelona signed him for around €7 million. It remains the defining transfer of his career so far, and one of the more unusual footnotes to it as well — he never played a single match for the Catalan club. His time in Spain amounted to a loan spell at Real Valladolid instead, where he made three appearances.

Barcelona sent him back to Palmeiras, and Fernandes spent the following seasons shuttling between the Brazilian club and another loan, this one at Athletico Paranaense in 2022, where he featured in 18 matches. He returned to Palmeiras for a second stint before his career found more settled footing in 2023, when he joined RB Bragantino.

At Bragantino he has become a regular fixture in midfield, wearing the number 35 shirt. He played 46 matches in his first year at the club and has continued to feature heavily since, adding appearances in the Campeonato Paulista and the Copa Sudamericana. Goals have never been a large part of his game — across his career in Brazil his output has stayed low — but his value has been in consistent presence in the middle of the park rather than end product.