Yan Couto

Is he old enough to drive yet? The teenage footballer going through his paces at Manchester City's training facility, a long path awaits the Brazilian wingback but success never comes easy, now does it?

Born on June 3rd, 2002 in Curitiba, Brazil, he began his footballing journey at the age of ten when he joined the youth academy of Coritiba. After progressing through the youth ranks and impressing his coaches, the teenage starlet was handed his debut for the first team in 2020, as he came on as a first-half substitute to feature in a 2-0 win over Cianorte in the Campeonato Paranaense. It was however, the defender’s displays for his national team, the under-17 Brazil side, that caught the eye of scouts from Europe’s elite clubs. He featured in all of Brazil’s games in the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup, as the Seleção beat Mexico in the finals to claim the trophy. The youngsters impressive performances at right full-back, especially his attacking prowess, had Spanish giants Barcelona and English powerhouse Manchester City fighting for his signature. But ironically it was Barca legend and current City coach Pep Guardiola who proved to be the deciding factor as in the summer of 2020 the young Brazilian from Coritiba put pen to paper to seal a 5-year deal with The Citizens. It is still early days but with the guidance of probably the best coach in the last decade, the sky is indeed the limit for the Brazilian as he will surely look to replicate greats who have come before him.