Guarulhos, a city in Brazil’s most populous state of Sao Paulo, has in recent times churned out talent in the footballing world from former Olympique Lyonnais captain Cris, to Arsenal’s current starlet Gabriel Martinelli. However, arguably one of the rawest and ripe talents could just be Claudinho, whose flair and eccentricity derives from the streets of Guarulhos, and the magic of Samba do Brasil. 

From Humble Origins and a Slow Start

Whilst former head coach Mauricio Barbieri touted that Claudinho was among the very best “if not the very best” in 2020 in the Campeonato Serie A of Brazil, due to the magician’s ability to get fans off their seats via his creativity, it hadn’t previously ever been that rosy for the attacking midfielder. 

Having been born in Guarulhos, a young Claudio Luiz Rodrigues Parise Leonel (Claudinho), had moved to Sao Vicente aged just 3 on the coast of Sao Paulo state. In this period, a young Claudinho would develop a love for football. By the age of 6, Claudinho began his journey at Santos' academy, following in the steps of Neymar and Pele, however, within 2 years of this the youngster was deemed surplus to requirements, ending his time with the club prematurely.