Talent calendar
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Usually it is the offensive artists, ball virtuosos and goal scorers who receive a lot of attention in Brazil at a young age. As a defender, Kauã Prates is one of the few exceptions who is also in focus in another position. At 17, the left-back from Cruzeiro already has almost everything he needs to be successful – and is therefore already on the list at Borussia Dortmund.
Prates was born and raised in Montanha in Espírito Santo state, the same region where Tottenham striker Richarlison comes from. A rural area with a focus on livestock and coffee growing, with only a few major football clubs nearby. The nearest big city, Belo Horizonte, is around 400 kilometers away – and yet Cruzeiro held a trial training session in the region in 2019. Prates stood out at the age of ten and was immediately signed for the youth teams. A stroke of luck for the Brazilian first division club, because just six years later the talent made his professional debut in the Série A at the age of 16 years, eleven months and six days. To put it into perspective: the last two players to play for Cruzeiro at this age are Ronaldo and Vitor Roque, currently the most valuable player in the league.
With a style similar to Serginho, the young Brazilian impressed his coach Leonardo Jardim, formerly successful coach of AS Monaco. He already indicated that he would immediately bring Prates to France if he was still working there. “He has enormous potential and above-average maturity,” explained Jardim when asked by Transfermarkt.br. “He can be used very variably and has only a few weaknesses. In addition to his technical qualities, he has excellent athleticism. He doesn’t drop in defense or offense and hits crosses and set pieces very well. He is a balanced full-back that all coaches like.”
This season, Prates has already made twelve professional appearances and has played three times in the Copa Sudamericana, the South American counterpart to the Europa League. He was not allowed to travel to the U17 World Cup in November because he was needed by his club. The fact that there are not more games in the Série A is only due to the outstanding condition of Kaiki, who is virtually untouchable on the left defensive side and whose market value was increased from 6 million to 10 million euros in the update last Thursday.
Prates was also able to enjoy a big plus there and increased its market value by 500 percent – from one million to 6 million euros. The club is already planning a high transfer fee for the homegrown player; no one believes he will stay at the club for a long time. Even teammate Lucas Silva recently said: “With his 16 years and his maturity and personality, he deserves recognition. He is already a great asset to the club, Cruzeiro will soon sell him – for a very high sum.”
Kauã Prates in focus at BVB – role model Justin Lerma
One club from Europe that has been repeatedly linked to Prates is Borussia Dortmund. “They seem to be ahead,” explained Thiago Rabelo, Area Manager Brazil at Transfermarkt, after first “ESPN” and later “Sky” reported the black and yellow’s interest in October. On the left defensive side, Almugera Kabar wants to leave the club and there is no nominal replacement behind Daniel Svensson when Julian Ryerson is needed on the right and Ramy Bensebaini in the center. In addition, Dortmund only showed last year that they are keeping an eye on South American talent at an early stage with the signing of Ecuadorian Justin Lerma, who will join the team in the summer of 2026.
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 | K. Prates |
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“Prates can be used as a left-back, central defender and even as a left winger and should consider German football as an interesting option. The example of Tuta, who also moved to the Bundesliga as a young defender and developed over the years, is a point that appeals to those around the player,” explains Rabelo. And no one at Cruzeiro doubts that the youngster has not yet reached his full potential. “If he’s so good at 17, what will he be like at 20?” Jardim finally asked rhetorically.
Every day from December 1st to 24th, Transfermarkt will present a talent from the 2008 or 2009 vintage from a different country. Sponsors, data scouts and users act as experts and report interesting facts about 24 young players in our talent calendar who you should keep a close eye on in the future. For example with the TM Watchlist.