Youth defender on loan from Corinthians to Roma provides first assist in Italy

João Gabriel received the ball on midfield, dribbled two and passed with his heel inside the area

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2023-10-14 12:28:46

Image Credits: © (Courtesy)

Recently, Corinthians agreed to loan one of its youth academy jewels to one of the main stages of European football: Italy. The name negotiated was João Gabriel, a 16-year-old defender who arrived at Timão in 2019 and played a total of 63 games for the club (56 as a starter), going through the under-14, under-15, under-16 and under-17.

The player was loaned to Roma for a period of one year and six months, with the possibility of buying at the end of the contract. Because he had an Italian passport, João was able to move to Italy before he was even 18 years old and even made two appearances in the Italian Championship for the under-18 category.

Last weekend, the defender contributed his first assist for Roma after starting from midfield, dribbling past two players and passing with his heel inside the box.

Before migrating to Europe, however, Corinthians signed the defender’s first professional contract, aiming not to lose the athlete for free in the future. While at the São Paulo club, João Gabriel was champion of the Copa Votorantim, one of the most important youth competitions in Brazil.

The feat occurred in 2022, where he played in six matches (all as a starter), and led a defense that went 50% of the games without being leaked, with only three goals conceded.

In addition to his life as a football athlete, João Gabriel practises Kung-Fu. He is a brown belt with black point and has several medals from state and Brazilian competitions. The next “graduation” within the modality is black belt. Furthermore, extracurricularly, he speaks English, Italian and Spanish.

Belíssima assistência do zagueiro João Gabriel pela Roma Sub 18 hoje! Emprestado pelo Corinthians até o ano que vem. pic.twitter.com/uWAPET8RJK

— Bruno Lima (@b_limanalises) October 9, 2023