Last Saturday, young striker Luighi experienced a remarkable moment in his career when he debuted for the Brazilian Under-17 team at the World Cup, held in Indonesia. At just 17 years old, Luighi is the only athlete in the group called up for the first time for a tournament of such magnitude and spared no effort when entering the second half of the clash against Iran.
Brazil started the match with an advantage, but ended up suffering a 3-2 defeat against their opponents. On his debut, Luighi almost equalized the score with a header in the 35th minute of the second half. Two minutes later, the striker received a pass from Sidney, forcing an impressive save from Shakouri, the Iranian goalkeeper.
“I wanted to thank God for everything he’s done in my life. I’m very happy for the debut. We know it wasn’t the result we wanted, but everyone here trusts in each other, and that in the next game we come away with victory” , highlighted Luighi.
The striker evaluated his performance in the match during the minutes he was on the field.
“I had some chances. I couldn’t take advantage, but about the match, I thought I did well. Now it’s time to rest and prepare. My expectation for the next game is that we have a good match and that, God willing, we will come out with the three points,” said the attacker.
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Born in 2006 and born in the city of São Paulo, Luighi has been a standout in Palmeiras’ youth teams since he was 10 years old. Currently, the striker is going through a spectacular phase at the Alviverde club, being the under-17’s top scorer with 21 goals in 20 games. His talent has already yielded significant titles, including the Brasileirão Under-17 in 2022 and 2023, the Paulista Under-17 in 2022, and the Copa do Brasil Under-17 in 2022 and 2023.
In July of this year, Luighi was promoted to Palmeiras’ under-20 team, where, in six games, he scored two goals and won the starting line-up. Now, the striker represents Brazil at the U17 World Cup in Indonesia, alongside his club colleagues, Vitor Reis, Estevão, and Riquelme, all also members of the Brazilian national team.
Luighi’s teammates already have experience with Amarelinha, especially Vitor and Riquelme, who won the U17 South American Championship in April this year. Next Tuesday, the 11th, Brazil will face New Caledonia in the second round of the U17 World Cup, seeking to reverse the current situation in Group C.
With the result against Iran, the team occupies third place, needing a victory to remain firm in the search for the title. The match is scheduled for 6 am (Brasília time), at the Jakarta International Stadium. The classification for the knockout stage will be determined by the leaders and vice-leaders of each group, in addition to the four best third-placed teams.
Samba Gold 2023: Open voting!
Voting for the Samba Gold Award 2023 is now open. Choose your favorite in the men’s, women’s and under-20 categories!
