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Tim Vickery, South American Football Columnist
Just days after turning 19, Vitor Reis has joined Manchester City from Palmeiras in a reported €35 million deal. In doing so, Reis became the most expensive centre-back ever to be signed from Brazil. So what’s his story, and why has Pep Guardiola paid so much money to take him to the Etihad this month?
In the past few years under Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras have won the Copa Libertadores (2020 and 2021) and the Brazilian Serie A (2022 and 2023) twice. Their youth teams have been cleaning up, too, and Reis is just the latest in a long line of young stars to make plenty of money for the club.
Endrick is at Real Madrid, Luis Guilherme is at West Ham United, and Estêvão, the most talented of the lot, is set to join Chelsea after the FIFA Club World Cup.
Palmeiras wanted to keep Reis until after the Club World Cup in the summer. But the offer from City kept going up, the player was tempted and in the end, Palmeiras agreed to let him go immediately.
Position
Three things stand out about the teenager: calmness on the ball, defensive versatility and leadership potential. There is an air of class on the ball. He acknowledges a debt of inspiration to Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, and this comes through in the way that he can pass the ball out of defence with his head up. It’s also there in his unflashy defending. In his brief time in the Palmeiras first team (he only made his debut in June), he showed that he can operate as part of a back four or a back three, and he has also played on both sides.
This is a modern, flexible defender able to fit into different schemes. And wherever he has played, despite his age, he has been a vocal presence. Through the Palmeiras youth ranks, he was often the captain and it showed.
By the numbers
*Stats from FBref based on Brazilian Serie A 2024 only
Pass accuracy: 88.0% (79th percentile)
Progressive passes: 3.02 per 90 (47th percentile)
Shot-creating actions: 0.71 per 90 (44th percentile)
Tackles + interceptions: 2.75 per 90 (61st percentile)
Aerial duel win rate: 63.6% (65th percentile)
Can he make an immediate impact? This is unlikely. He arrives in England on the back of 22 games with Palmeiras. Some will point to the example of Murillo, who did not have many more matches under his belt when he joined Nottingham Forest, but who nevertheless has been a smash success. But there are significant differences. Murillo is a little bit older and is also broader in build, which means that Reis still has some filling out to do.
Moreover, Murillo has starred in a low block and counterattack team. Manchester City centre-backs tend to be much more exposed and are required to play far higher up the field. This will need adaptation, not least because Reis will need to get used to a different style of coaching. Ferreira can come across as a junior version of a peak Jose Mourinho. Guardiola’s football is much more expansive, and this can leave the centre-backs with lots of space to cover when opponents go on the break.
Why do Man City want him?
This is almost certainly their response to the recent bad run, with Guardiola admitting that he made a mistake by not sufficiently strengthening the squad during the summer. The acquisition of Reis is in effect pushing the “rebuild” button. They want the player as soon as possible because they have a lot of work to do with him. It could well be that playing in the Club World Cup for City will be an important part of his development. And while Reis left a good impression in his opening six months in the first team, he is very much a work in progress.
In the end, 2024 turned out to be a disappointing year for Palmeiras. Towards the end of the league campaign, where they finished second, they were conceding more goals than usual. And Reis will remember the team’s elimination from the Copa Libertadores in August against eventual-champions Botafogo. He was bullied by Igor Jesus, who subsequently became Brazil‘s first-choice centre-forward. This is the kind of challenge, physical and mobile, that awaits him every week in the Premier League.
Who else was linked?
Real Madrid, Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool, Arsenal were all credited with interest in Reis.
In quotes
“After I saw him play at centre-back for the under-9 side, he came to train with me,” said Robinho Custodio, his youth coach at the R10 Academy. “And there I saw that he could command, that he would organise those around him. You could see that he had a strong personality. Then he went to Palmeiras and won everything there at youth level. He’s a very humble, down-to-earth guy.”
“He’s been a pleasant surprise,” Ferreira said after giving Reis his debut. “Everyone should have the strength of will that this lad has. I congratulate him, because despite his age, he’s a man of character.”
