“Over time he will be a player above normal.” This is how the Portuguese coach Jorge Jesús spoke in 2019 about Vinícius Souza (1999), known in Brazil as Vinição. At that time, at the age of 20, Flamengo saw him as one of his great jewels. He stood out for his enormous physical strength, a great vision of the game and a lot of forcefulness in the brand, conditions that opened the doors of the first team for him. The Portuguese coach was the one who recruited and instructed him, and who also pointed him out as “a particular project”. He even compared him to Nemanja Matic, then at Manchester United and whom Jesús trained at Benfica. Three years later, and after two seasons in Belgium, Souza is already a seasoned player. At 23 years old, he was the undisputed starter at KV Mechelen last season and this season he has chosen Espanyol to continue growing after a great battle to win his services.
The parakeet team announced yesterday its incorporation after passing the medical examination and will be presented next Monday at the RCD Stadium. Defensive midfielder with a remarkable wingspan (1.87 meters), he arrives at Diego Martínez’s team on loan from Belgian Lommel SK (owned by City Football Group) and to reinforce a very short position after the departure of David López and Fran Merida. The player was desired by many European teams such as PSV, with whom he was close to signing, Celtic, Schalke or Fenerbahce, and Spanish teams such as Sevilla and Betis.
Vinícius was born in Rio de Janeiro and was discovered by a local businessman during a social project conference. He was 14 years old when he arrived at Flamengo. There he coincided with Vinícius Jr. In fact they grew up just a few kilometers away in the western part of the city, although the Real Madrid player’s projection would be spectacular during those years. At that stage Souza played as a midfielder, but a late growth spurt forced him to settle into a further back position. It was there when Jorge Jesús decided to give him a chance in the first team in 2019 and when he began to identify himself, due to his similar physical conditions, with Paul Pogba. A year later City set their sights on him and took over his services in exchange for 2.5 million euros, equivalent to 60% of his rights. The Saudi Arabian conglomerate still has the possibility to buy another 20% for 1.5 million euros, but has not yet exercised this option.
Souza arrived in 2020 at Lommel, from the Belgian second division and that same year he agreed to join the structure of the City Football Group. Without too much prominence the first year, last season he managed to be a fixture in the midfield of KV Mechelen, to which he arrived on loan. There he played 32 games in the Jupiler Pro League, with two goals and one assist.
The perica sports management, led by Domingo Catoira, had him on the radar for a long time and has worked to include a purchase option in the operation that the club of origin rejected outright, considering that the footballer has great potential and is not They plan, for the time being, to get rid of it.
With his arrival, Espanyol gains muscle and complements with height the role of Keidi Bare in the defensive pivot, a position with few troops, but leaves the continuity of Pol Lozano up in the air. A few dates ago the youth squad made it clear that if he cannot continue at Espanyol he will return to Girona.
