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Lorran: Flamengo’s Explosive Superstar

July 30, 2024
Player Analysis, Brasileirão

When you think of Brazilian footballers the mind wanders to moments of the greats. Whether it’s the iconic R9 half-shaven haircut, Pele rising above Brazilian fans after winning the 1970 World Cup, the Roberto Carlos freak free-kick. They’re a nation full of entertainers. There’s a culture that runs throughout Brazilian footballers of playing with joy and skills. Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Neymar, the list goes on. Even some of the young upcoming prospects have the Brazilian showboating gene’. The latest to light up the Maracanã with his Samba skills is Flamengo’s 18-year-old future star Lorran Lucas.

 

A Busy Start to The 2023 Season

 

As the 2023 season approached, Flamengo went through drastic changes. Portuguese manager Vítor Pereira took over with aspirations of leading Flamengo to success, starting by addressing the squad. 

 

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To really give him the best chance of silverware, Pereira brought in some experienced players for additional quality in the squad. Gerson, Ayrton Lucas, Agustín Rossi (pre-agreement), Guillermo Varela were all signed. After being such important players for Flamengo, David Luiz and Pedro were awarded contract extensions. To fund much of this, academy product João Gomes was sold to Wolves for a €18.7m fee.

 

Lorran’s Announcement to Flamengo Fans

 

Amongst the chaos of the transfer window, Flamengo’s 2023 Campeonato Carioca campaign began. In the first few games, U20 coach Mário Jorge managed the side fielding several younger players. 

 

During matchday 4 they came up against Bangu Atlético Clube and were a goal down in the 43rd minute. Bangu’s lead didn’t last long though as defender Vitor attempted to dribble out of defence in the 56th minute. Flamengo’s Mateusão won the ball, held it up and laid it off for 16-year-old Lorran who smashed the ball into the top right corner on his weaker right foot.

 

Lorran announced himself to Flamengo fans in style. A powerful strike to pay back the manager’s faith to give Lorran his first start on only his second appearance. A goal that would eclipse Vinícius Júnior’s record as Flamengo’s youngest-ever goal scorer. In the midst of all the chaos at the club, a star was born.

 

 

It wasn’t just the goal though, all through the game Lorran had been a menace. Absolutely relentless. Lorran was the brightest light for Flamengo. Due to the sweat shining on his cleanly shaven head, he was quite literally shining on the pitch. However, the magical moments he created with his quick feet were even brighter. 

Youth Level Brilliance

 

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Lorran Lucas Pereira de Souza has been a standout figure in Brazil at youth level. In the 2023 Copinha, the powerful attacking midfielder/winger hybrid caught the eye of many. His samba skills enabled him to escape tight spaces. It wasn’t just his skills that impressed, but Lorran’s upper body strength helped him ride challenges and glide past players. It enabled him to hold off defenders to shield the ball whilst carrying.

 

Later that year, Lorran was a part of Brazil’s team in the U17 South America Championship. Brazil had a very talented squad including prospects like Kauã Elias, Dudu, Rayan Vitor, Riquelme Fillipi, Vitor Reis, Souza, and JP Chermont. With an abundance of talent, Brazil put in some quality performances with Lorran at the heart of some great attacking football. Lorran played 8 of Brazil’s 9 games, starting 5 and being subbed on for 3. They would later go on to be triumphant, winning the tournament. The standout victory was a 3-2 win versus rivals Argentina. 

 

However, when the U17 World Cup came around in November, Lorran and Brazil were much more disappointing. In the U17 World Cup, Lorran was much less involved only starting 1 of the 5 games and substituted in for the remaining 4. Brazil’s lack of application and team cohesion saw them struggle in some games and they then met bitter rivals Argentina in the Quarter-Finals.

 

A renewed Argentina got their payback with a 3-0 win courtesy of a Claudio Echeverri masterclass, scoring an outstanding hat-trick. Sadly, Lorran failed to make a big impact for Brazil and often Estêvão was preferred over him in the right-wing position.

 

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Flamengo won the U20 Copa Libertadores back in March after a fantastic display from Lorran in the final against Boca Juniors at Estadio Domingo Burgueño. After going 1-0 down, Lorran drove down the right wing to the byline, took on the Boca Juniors defender to drive inside and square the ball back to Ogundana Shola for the tap in to equalise.

 

Lorran then went one better and scored the winner with a lovely shift of the ball onto his right foot as he ran onto a through ball and finished around the keeper on his weaker foot. A goal and an assist in a final to win the game 2-1 for Flamengo and lift the trophy. A foreshadowing of many more moments to come in Lorran’s promising future ahead.

 

Breakthrough at Flamengo

 

Since then, Lorran Lucas has really started to become a more regular player for Flamengo’s senior team. Lorran is the type of player who gets you on your feet. He just brings so much excitement to a team. So much dynamism and skill. 

 

20 appearances in 2024 for the senior team just how much current manager Tite believes in his talent. A lot of these appearances have come off the bench but every time he enters the pitch, he consistently makes an impact.

 

 

Tite previously stated “We are working together to guide Lorran and help him reach his full potential. It is essential that he maintains a focussed and committed mindset as he continues to grow as a player”. Tite’s comments show how highly Lorran is rated and hence, he’ll handle his development with care and patience.

 

Player Profile 

 

Lorran loves to take on players and will just go at them repeatedly all game. Statistically, he stands out for his dribbling. 6.85 take-ons attempted (top 4% in leagues outside the top 5 leagues), 3.73 successful take-ons (top 1%), 4.17 carries into the final third (top 1%). Applaudable numbers for a 17-year-old breaking into the first team.

 

Built to provide match-winning moments on the biggest stage, the Flamengo prospect is one of the best talents in Brazil right now. Lorran is a ball-striking monster off both feet. Such strong legs enable him to unleash shots of so much power on either foot. The fact he can on even his ‘weaker’ right foot makes him such an unpredictable player. In and around the box, he’s deadly for this exact reason.

 

His quick feet allow him to create separation in the box or weave out of tight areas with ease. In addition, Lorran has that instinct to shoot whenever space opens up. He certainly doesn’t hesitate to shoot in the box and the way he smoothly shifts the ball to create space helps to get plenty of shots off.

 

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Everything Lorran does is with conviction and intent. A high-intensity player who will grab the game by the scruff of its neck and be the decisive factor in changing the result. Not just that though, he’s an entertainer. Lorran is packed with skills, flicks, tricks – the typical flair you’d associate with Brazilian attackers. There’s so much variance to how he can take on a player that it’s tough to anticipate his next move.

 

When carrying the ball, he has swift acceleration to rapidly create separation. Manipulating his height to lower his centre of gravity and shorten his stride allows him to turn much sharper. There’s an effortless variance of his stride length which makes defensively tracking him tough. He’ll slow as he approaches a defender in a 1v1, bait them to move in one direction so they’re fixed, then quickly drop a shoulder the opposite way to turn past them and break away. A devastating 1v1 dribbler.

 

Creativity

 

Don’t be fooled though; Lorran is not just a dribbler. His carries are intelligent as he uses them to drag other players out of position, where a teammate can await his quality through ball that follows. His awareness of space is excellent. Lorran has a ‘gravity’. When he’s carrying the ball, he draws so many players to him. Equally, his dribbling ability means he can take several players out of the game in one carry.

 

Lorran’s high IQ is evident in how he combines with other technical players around him. Quick interchanging movements mixed with some give-and-go passes to beat the press. He’s constantly looking to create something out of nothing. 

 

 

In the final third, Lorran will pull off some wonderful final passes. Whether it’s a smart reverse pass, a chipped through ball, a trivela to switch play; he’ll find a teammate in space and do it in style. On the edge of the box, the combination of his final ball, ball-striking, dribbling and two-footed finishing is a dangerous threat.

 

Remarkable Work Rate

 

Lorran is driven, confident, hard-working, and charismatic. He plays with so much joy. The skillful turns, flicking the ball over the head of players and bringing urgency to the attack all while taking on so much responsibility for his team at a young age. 

 

On the pitch, you’ll see him giving everything for the team. Tracking back, working hard defensively to win the ball despite being such an exciting flair player. A dominant duel-winner with a mature physicality. Being such a high-intensity player, there are parts to his game that need refining, particularly his decision-making in the final third and more consistent pass execution. But this will come with time and coaching.

Flamengo’s Academy – The Evergreen Talent Pool 

 

Flamengo have an excellent track record in recent years for developing top talents. Recent exports include Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham), João Gomes (Wolves), Otávio (FC Porto), Matheus França (Crystal Palace), Rodrigo Muniz (Fulham) and many more. 

 

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In the current first team, there’s Igor Jesus (DM), Victor Hugo (CM), Matheus Gonçalves (RW), and Wesley (RB) joining Lorran as the prospects getting regular minutes. They all tend to fill up the bench and rotate with the more senior players in the squad. There’s a good balance within their squad that will aid these prospects in their development.

 

Additionally, there’s Ryan Roberto, Jhefinho, Rayan Lucas, Da Mata, Weliton, Wallace Yan and Ogundana Shola all showing promise as the top prospects from Flamengo’s academy. To sum up, Flamengo’s academy is the gift that keeps on giving. Lorran is the one who will likely be snapped up by a big club soonest though.

 

European Interest

 

Such an explosive player is certainly someone who would thrive in a more physical environment like the Premier League. Which is why it’s no surprise that Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea have shown an interest. Even teams outside of England like Barcelona have been tracking him too. 

 

A hefty €50m release clause may put off teams for now, but if he continues to perform, it’s only a matter of time before that is triggered. Those silky skills and powerful runs will be lighting up the biggest stages in the Champions League one day. Make no mistake, Lorran is going to the pinnacle of elite football.

 

By: Ben Mattinson / @Ben_Mattinson_

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Buda Mendes / Getty Images

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