Éderson: The Relentless Brazilian Workhorse Who’s Reinvigorating Atalanta’s MIdfield
At 25 years of age, Éderson José dos Santos Lourenço da Silva has already plied his trade on three different continents, represented the Brazil national team in a major tournament, and led Atalanta to their first major trophy in 61 years. And today, he’s emerging as an integral part of an Atalanta side that continues to take Italian football by storm.
Born in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Éderson made the move to São Paulo at the age of 12 and kickstarted his youth development with Desportivo Brasil. He rose up the ranks at the club, which is owned by Shandong Luneng Group, before deciding to head out on loan to Chinese side Shandong Luneng (now know as Shandong Taishan) in 2017. After his brief stint in the Far East, Éderson was able to assert himself in the Brazilian top-flight for Desportivo Brasi and earn the interest of various top sides in the nation.
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It was Cruzeiro who won the race for him, signing him on loan in July 2018. Initially expected to play for the U20s, Éderson’s impressive displays in training convinced manager Mano Menezes to give him a chance in the first team. He was one of the club’s few bright spots during a season which saw Cruzeiro suffer relegation to Série B, after which Éderson sued the club for unpaid wages. An agreement was then reached for him to sign with another club for free, with Corinthians signing him in February 2020 on a five-year deal.
An introverted person with an aggressive flair on the pitch, Éderson stood out above the rest in his position for covering immense ground and maintaining his intensity levels. After making 25 appearances for the Timão, Éderson moved to Fortaleza on loan, where he emerged as a key figure and racked up 58 appearances, helping them qualify for the Copa Libertadores. In January 2022, Éderson decided to make the permanent move away from his homeland and head across the Atlantic.
He joined newly promoted Salernitana on a 4.5-year deal and immediately became one of the first names on the team sheet under Davide Nicola, helping them avoid relegation in their first top-flight season in 23 years and escape the drop by just a point. Six months after joining Salernitana for €6.5 million, Éderson called it quits on his time in Salerno and joined Atalanta for €23 million. It hasn’t taken long for him to make that fee look like a bargain buy.
He reunited with former Salernitana teammate Matteo Ruggeri, who had spent the previous year on loan in Campania, and established himself as a vital cog in the center of the pitch as Atalanta finished fifth in Serie A and reached the Coppa Italia quarterfinals. The following summer proved to be crucial for La Dea, with president Antonio Percassi using their lucrative profits from Rasmus Højlund’s sale to Manchester United and reinvesting it into talented players whose stock had dropped in recent months, namely Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca.
Éderson, meanwhile, was forced to adapt to the intense demands of manager Gian Piero Gasperini, inserting himself into more attacking scenarios from the heart of midfield and forming a stellar balance with Dutchmen Marten de Roon and Teun Koopmeiners. He delivered Man of the Match displays against Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio and Gabriele Cioffi’s Udinese and chipped in with tireless running from the box-to-box midfield position.
With Éderson adapting perfectly to Gasperini’s plans in attack, his defensive resilience still remained very impactful and was placed high in ranking for most duels and most tackles won. La Dea took it a step further in the Coppa Italia, reaching the final in what was a rematch of the 2021 Coppa Italia, against La Vecchia Signora. An eventful encounter saw Gian Piero Gasperini’s side fall short at the last hurdle against Juventus, missing out on the golden opportunity for silverware.
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The Brazilian international continued to impress fans across the league, with his incredible intelligence of the game and the ability to read when to break-up and start transitions. Éderson received a call up for the Seleção in the build-up to their Copa America campaign however saw no minutes on the pitch in the tournament. A month later, Atalanta made history in Europe as the Bergamo-based side beat Olympique de Marseille to qualify for the UEFA Europa League Final for the chance to win their first trophy since the 60’s.
Gasperini’s men faced the tall order in opposition, facing season-long unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen, expertly managed by Xabi Alonso. Many disregarded La Dea before a ball was kicked due to the force created by Alonso in the Bundesliga. Éderson and his teammates pulled off a remarkable performance, the midfielder covered all areas of the pitch and was utilised as the suffocator to Leverkusen’s playing style.
His high intensity and willingness to fight for every possession bolstered the side, La Dea capitalised on Leverkusen’s mistakes and a Ademola Lookman hat-trick masterclass sent the city of Bergamo into raptures. The Brazilian international had been highly praised across Europe’s best following a picture perfect performance on the highest stage.
Éderson and company etched their names into the record books and won their first European title in the club’s history. Heading into the 2024-2025 season, Atalanta carried their successes into the new campaign, as they sat in the top 4 for the first 10 games of the season, tipping them to be early title contenders.
The month of October for Éderson saw consistent performances being played week in week out, with his first goal of the new campaign coming in a 5-1 thrashing against Genoa. His growth in progressive plays into the final third has been immense for La Dea and his physical presence on the pitch makes it difficult for teams to break him down in transition.
Come mid season and Atalanta find themselves amongst the mix for the Scudetto, sitting third in the Serie A table, four points behind Inter (who have a game in hand), seven points behind Napoli, and four points above Lazio. They’re also well-positioned to automatically qualify to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, currently sitting seventh in the league table.
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Atalanta have failed to win in their last four league matches, and last weekend, they suffered their first loss since September in a 3-2 defeat to Napoli. However, they bounced back midweek by demolishing Sturm Graz 5-0, and they remain hopeful of delivering yet another successful season in the club’s history. They are poised to make a deep run in Serie A, the Champions League, and the Coppa Italia, with the club set to face Bologna in the quarterfinals.
Even with former midfield maestro Teun Koopmeiners now at Juve, Atalanta find themselves challenging for silverware on three fronts thanks in large part to Éderson, who has all the tools to blossom into one of the finest midfielders on the continent. It remains to be seen whether or not they can win the third major trophy in club history after the 1962/63 Coppa Italia and the 2023/24 Europa League, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll need Éderson to continue delivering the goods in midfield and providing the platform for their more creative players to shine through.
Un uomo che ha un repertorio che non tutti possono contenere.
By: Lorenzo Gagliotta / @LG24Sports
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / DeFodi Images