Luca Meirelles

Luca Meirelles captained Santos's under-17 side to the Campeonato Paulista Sub-17 title in 2024 before he had even made his senior bow. He had joined the Santos academy in Goiânia's shadow back in 2018, signed his first professional contract in July 2023, and was promoted to the first team in November of the following year. His debut, on 17 November 2024, came as a substitute against CRB in the Série B — a competition Santos had already wrapped up. Sixteen more Série B appearances followed without a goal, and he stepped up to make his Série A debut in March 2025. In August 2025, Shakhtar Donetsk paid a reported €12 million to take him to Ukraine, with Santos retaining a 15% sell-on clause and Meirelles signing until 2030. The move paid off quickly: he scored eight goals in his first season at the club and was named Shakhtar's Player of the Month in December 2025. In the 2025–26 Ukrainian Premier League campaign he contributed six goals in 20 league outings as Shakhtar won the title, and he has continued scoring into the following season, with two goals in three matches so far. At youth international level, Meirelles has represented Brazil, scoring five goals in three appearances for the under-17s and adding a further goal for the under-20 side.