Aldemir dos Santos Ferreira

Ferreira, as São Paulo know him, did not arrive from nowhere. He came through Grêmio's youth setup after joining from a football school, then spent years being farmed out on loan — to São Luiz, Toledo, Cianorte and Aimoré — before settling into the first team picture in Porto Alegre.

That patience paid off. Across roughly 121 official appearances for Grêmio he scored 22 goals, 14 matches and eight goals in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. His domestic numbers were steadier than spectacular, seven goals in 64 Série A appearances and five in 31 games in the Campeonato Gaúcho, with a handful more in the Copa do Brasil.

The move to São Paulo in January 2024 changed the shape of his career rather than the substance of it. The club took on 35% of his economic rights, with Grêmio's partners keeping the rest, and tied him down on a contract running to the end of 2027. The early return was a trophy rather than a run of goals: a Supercopa do Brasil title in his first year at the club.

There is no senior or youth international recognition to his name so far, a reminder that his career has so far been built almost entirely on club football, first earned in loan spells far from the spotlight, then on the continental stage with Grêmio.