Scouting Network – Lucas Moura
Goalden Times brings you the stars of tomorrow – 20 years or under, promising players from across the world
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Full Name: Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva
Date of Birth: August 13, 1992
Height: 1.73 m
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Nationality: Brazilian
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Market Value: £31 m
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Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva. The name indicates he is of Brazilian origin, and indeed he is. One can figure out from his play that this young kid is here to stay. He started in the youth teams of Juventus but returned to his homeland with the Corinthians before settling in at Sao Pãulo. Following the footsteps of another Brazilian star, Kaka he nurtured his skills at the youth level to make his senior club team debut in 2010. He had a prolific season in 2011 where he scored 13 goals and provided eight assists. This, along with his strong showing for Brazil in various age groups, earned him a senior team call-up for a friendly against Scotland on March 27, 2011.At a very young age, he was able to secure a permanent first team place at the club level and his performances for the national team convinced the giants of European club football that he had it all to shine at the top level. In a tug of war for Lucas Moura, Paris Saint-Germain skipped past Manchester United to secure the services of this prodigious talent in the summer of 2012.
Like almost all Brazilians, he has a Samba flavour to his football. He has a strong physique for his age and his decision-making skills clubbed with superb technical abilities have made him a prominent figure in the national team across various age groups. His breakthrough came in the Under-20 South American Championship in 2011 where he scored a hat-trick to clinch the trophy for Brazil in the finals en route to thrashing Uruguay 6-0. He usually starts in the right side of midfield but drifts inside to take control of the game. He is a superb dribbler and does not need any invitation to run at defences. He is classy and a supremely confident young player who mesmerizes viewers with his vision as well as confidence level to take on any opponent. He is a diamond in the rough – he needs to learn to keep his temperament under control in order to achieve greater heights. And he has all the makings to do just that; provided his sky-high price tag and the ridiculous buy-out fee of £83 million do not get into his head!