Martin Braithwaite

When Grêmio came calling in the summer of 2024, Braithwaite arrived on a free transfer from RCD Espanyol and signed a contract running to the end of 2027, taking the number 22 shirt. He was already the Segunda División's leading man by then: the previous season he had claimed the Trofeo Pichichi with 22 goals, top scorer as Espanyol fought their way back into La Liga.

His path there ran through Barcelona, where he arrived in February 2020 after the club triggered his release clause, and where he won the Copa del Rey in the 2020/21 season. Before that came Middlesbrough, who paid £9 million for him in 2017, and loan spells at Bordeaux and Leganés that led to a permanent move to the Spanish club in 2019. It was Toulouse, though, that gave him his first move abroad, signing him from Esbjerg fB for €2 million in 2013 after he had already won a Danish Cup and a 1st Division title on home soil.

For Denmark, Braithwaite built a long international career: 69 caps and 10 goals between 2013 and 2023. He played at the 2018 World Cup, then at Euro 2020, where Denmark reached the semi-finals and where he scored in the Round of 16 win over Wales. A third major tournament followed at the 2022 World Cup. He last played for the national side in September 2023.