Santos youngster wins Cuca's trust and becomes attacking option

With the coffers empty and unable to sign players due to a FIFA transfer ban, Santos has been looking more and more closely at its youth academy.

According to ge, the latest name in the spotlight is Nadson, a 17-year-old forward who made his first-team debut at the start of the year under Juan Pablo Vojvoda and is now emerging under Cuca.

The Rise of a Gem

Under the Boss’s Watch: Cuca was impressed by the youngster during a Brazilian U-20 Championship match against Botafogo at CT Rei Pelé. Playing on the left wing, Nadson provided two assists and led Santos’s comeback.

Golden Opportunity: The strong performance paid off quickly. He took part in a training match with the first team and, in the recent loss to Botafogo in the Brazilian top flight, came on in the second half in place of Miguelito, leapfrogging youngsters who had been at the club longer, such as Robinho Jr.

Desired Profile: Nadson is quick and has one-on-one dribbling as his main strength. According to Cuca, it was a trait missing from the squad (until then seen only in forward Moisés).

Hungry to Play: After suffering an ankle strain in April, Nadson asked the club’s board to let him play for the U-17s just to regain match fitness more quickly. The attitude pleased the directors, and he even scored the winner against Atlético-GO on that occasion. The youngster is under contract with Peixe until January 2028.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.