Metinho

Metinho was born in Matadi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and holds dual Brazilian and Congolese nationality, having been naturalised Brazilian in 2019. He came through Fluminense's youth ranks, where he captained the club's under-17 side to the Brasileirão Sub-17 title in 2020, and was named on The Guardian's "Next Generation 2020" list. He was also called up to train with Brazil's senior squad under Tite in November 2020, though a debut never came. His move into the professional game came in February 2021, when City Football Group signed him from Fluminense for around €5m plus bonuses, before he was sent to ES Troyes AC. At Troyes he never made a senior appearance, playing instead for the club's reserve side. Loan spells took him first to Lommel SK in Belgium's Challenger Pro League, then to Sparta Rotterdam in the Eredivisie, where he made 41 senior appearances and scored twice. A January 2025 loan brought him to FC Basel, where he helped the club win the Swiss Super League title and the Swiss Cup. That spell convinced Basel to sign him permanently from City Football Group in July 2025, on a deal running until 2030. At international level, Metinho has represented DR Congo's under-20 side, making two appearances in 2023.